Never Meant To Win
by To-MAH-To
Summary: The good guy was always supposed to win, or at least, Sasuke thought so. He knew that Naruto would kill him for his betrayal. But that's not what happened. Sasuke won the fight, and now, he's trapped in a city where everyone hates him. SasuHina NaruSaku
1. The Final Battle

**Never Meant To Win**

**Warnings:** _Possible language. And I might slip some underlying slash in there (just for the fun of it), so if you're completely homophobic, I suggest you turn around. Rated T—no 'lemons' whatsoever. _

I prepared myself for what I knew would be my final day on earth. I had nothing left to live for, unlike Naruto. I had no family. I had no friends left, due to my betrayal. I had left Orochimaru, and I had killed Itachi. I wanted to be killed by the hands of Naruto. I needed to die, to feel as if I had somehow made up for all of the mistakes I had made in the past.

And the only way I could possibly ever atone for that was to prove that good triumphed over evil. That Naruto could beat me, with purely his own power (possibly along with the Kyuubi's power, I'm not sure if he would use it or not) against mine and Orochimaru's power would prove that, through strong will and determination, an ambitious person could overtake someone who was a 'natural genius'. I would show the people of Konoha that their way of living paid off eventually, and hopefully, I would inspire those that were like me so long ago to become better people.

I decided to leave my hair limp and falling around my eyes. It made me look darker, and gave off the vibes that I was evil. My skin was already a translucent white, as I hadn't seen much sun in the past five years. Most of my fighting had been done in the Mist, and most of my training had been done in a dungeon. Neither place was somewhere to get a tan.

There were dark bags underneath my eyes. For the past week, since I sent Naruto, who was currently the Sixth Hokage, a challenge letter, I haven't slept much. Some of it was anticipation of the battle, but most of the anticipation came from the fact that I would be seeing him in the first time in nearly five years. Despite his greatest efforts, he hadn't gotten anywhere near me, due to the cautiousness of Orochimaru.

I had heard many rumors (all of the true, I was certain) about Naruto. For one thing, he had given up on Sakura Haruno, and was instead, chasing after a much better prey—Hinata Hyuuga. I, myself, have always considered Hinata to be one of the most beautiful girls in Konoha—she had a kind of subtle, shy beauty that one would have to basically throw in her face in order to prove to her she was, in fact, a gorgeous woman. Unlike the other conceited girls, she was worth time.

But not from me. I didn't deserve anyone—I was born to die alone, after killing my brother. In that fight, I had been the 'good'. In this fight, however, I was the 'evil'. And good triumphs over evil—always.

I needed to die.

----

Just as I suspected, Naruto set up the fight to be fair. He cleared out a large circular area in the forest, with nearly every Konoha citizen surrounding us. Naruto had ordered the ANBU not to interfere with the fight, no matter what happened. When I walked up to him, we exchanged a look. It was more of a glare, but behind each of our dirty looks, we could tell that the other didn't want to hurt their 'best friend'.

Sometimes, I hope that Naruto doesn't consider me his best friend. Certainly, he would always be mine. But, hopefully, by now, Naruto had gotten closer to someone else, say Hinata, Sakura, or even perhaps Lee.

We stretched out our arms towards each other, in a similar motion. We knew what the other was planning to do immediately—we weren't even planning on tiring the other out, as would happen in a real ninja fight, not a staged on, such as this.

Simultaneously, without uttering a word, we began gathering power. My Chidori had changed vastly—it was no longer the exact replica of the jutsu Kakashi had taught me. I had tweaked it, perfected it, and added Orochimaru's power to it. Now, it was silent, which was helpful if one wanted to ambush someone else. It was also darker, and instead of giving off light, it appeared to suck the light inside of it, as if it were solar-powered and hungry for the light.

Naruto's Rasengan had changed as well. The last time I had seen it, it had been a small ball of blue chakra that required two clones to make. Now, it had also been changed. I noted that Naruto wasn't using the Kyuubi's power at all, which did terrify me. For one thing, the Rasengan was now much larger than it had been before. For another thing, he no longer needed his clones to make it. Now, the Rasengan seemed to be a ball of pure white light, of pure power emanating from his palm.

We each grabbed our right wrist with our left hand, something that was originally, only mine. In the same instant, we charged forward, our legs carrying us as fast towards the other as possible. There was no attempt to block the attack from the other—we simply used all of our power to attack the other. It was as if we had planned out the attack from the beginning. But, no—my note had simply read, "Naruto. I will be coming to Konoha in a week. We will see who is stronger, once and for all." I didn't even sign it—he would know who it was from.

As we lunged forward, I could see the feral look on Naruto's face. This time, it was totally unoccupied by Kyuubi chakra or influence. My face was calm, though my jaw was clenched. His look was like he had unleashed a raw power inside of him, as if he had just suddenly snapped mentally. He was going all out, because this fight meant so much more to him than it did me—I was quite relieved at this.

I felt the force of the Rasengan slam into my torso, just as my Chidori hit Naruto's chest. I don't know how he felt—I had never personally been on the receiving end of a Chidori—but I knew that it felt like a large ball of burning chakra was literally drilling me. It was pushing and twirling against my torso. I sputtered slightly, and I knew before I even looked that it wasn't spittle that flew out of my mouth, but blood.

The pain I felt from the Rasengan made the few seconds I spent in close contact with Naruto seem like an eternity. However, the brief second or two passed, and soon, I was flying across the clearing—which now, somehow, resembled a deep crater in the ground, due to the sheer immensity of the forces of the Rasengan and the Chidori combined.

I landed hard. The wind was knocked out of my lungs, and I couldn't inhale at all for a few seconds. I could feel my consciousness slipping away from me, as the spots of light were starting to become outnumbered by the areas of blackness. I had very little energy left, but I needed to be certain. I pulled myself across the ground towards Naruto—no one interfered, but instead, all watched in silence. I couldn't quite crawl, so it took me nearly a minute to get to Naruto's side.

When I was close enough to examine his face, I collapsed. My energy had completely left my body. My last sight, before I thought I was going to die, was Naruto's unmoving, limp body.

----

I woke up to lights burning my retinas. I thought, at first, that this was just the beginning to a ride in hell—and surely, if there were someplace like that in the afterlife, I'd be spending at least some portion of my eternity in hell—but then I saw an angel. Of course, after my mind became more stable, I knew that it wasn't a _real_ angel. In fact, it was someone I knew… but I couldn't place the name, even after nearly five minutes of consciousness. The bright, pink hair and the emerald green eyes were supposed to give it away… but still, my mind was withholding such information from me.

I felt like I had almost placed her name when she caught sight of me. I saw her expression harden, as if seeing me alive and well pissed her off. It probably did. She walked over to my bed in quick, sure strides and injected something into the bag that was connected to the IV that was connected to my arm.

As my mind started slipping away into a drug-induced unconsciousness, I couldn't help but notice the small golden engagement ring on her finger…

----

This time, when I woke up, the lights were not blazing. This time, when I woke up, there wasn't an angel, ready to inject drugs to sedate me into sleep. This time, the lights were off, the moon was shining in the window, and a big hairy man was watching me while I slept.

My focus was better than it had been before. I remembered the "angel's" name now—Sakura Haruno—and she was no angel (though she did look like a woman, she had really grown up quite a bit). And, it didn't take me long to figure out who this big, hairy man that was watching me was.

Jiraiya.

His face was clenched, somehow, like being in my presence pained him. He was almost glaring at me, though holding back and bottling up all the actual animosity he had towards me. It was amazing that I was still alive. If I were being questioned, they wouldn't have fixed me up in the hospital beforehand. If I were going to be executed, they wouldn't have bothered giving me a fair trial before executing me—missing nin weren't given fair trails. And, truth be told, they all probably wanted my death.

Why was I still alive? Why, in the first place, hadn't Naruto beaten me? Why hadn't they killed me for beating—possibly killing—Naruto?

Why wasn't I rotting in hell yet, like I deserved?

I couldn't speak. My throat felt like it was glued stuck, the walls of my throat sticking together like Velcro. Jiraiya noted I was awake, and slowly, as if the movement was causing him pain (he _was_ old), he crossed the room and came to my bedside. He glared down at me before picking up a thin sheet of ice. I had been in a hospital before—they didn't give you real water when you were in critical condition because you could drown in it. So, to be careful, they gave you small ice sheets to melt in your mouth to quench your thirst. I couldn't move my arms, due to the IV, so I simply stuck my tongue out.

He put nearly ten pieces of ice on my tongue before I was actually satisfied. Once I had had enough of the ice, I finally asked, "How's Naruto?" I felt like I already knew the answer—he couldn't possibly be alive, or, if he was alive, he was in terrible condition.

"He's… not well. He's in extensive care. At this point, it all depends on his will to live," Jiraiya explained with a grimace.

"He'll live, then," I muttered to myself absent-mindedly. If there was one thing that Naruto definitely had more of than I did, it was willpower. That, and—well, that and goodness.

"It's not always about that. Sometimes, even with strong will, luck is just against you."

Naruto had that, too—luck. Or, rather, he had good luck with most things—you couldn't ignore the fact that he had a demon contained inside of him since almost the day he was born.

I didn't bring that up. Even a less experienced ninja like me knows that luck shouldn't be considered a skill—luck was something that happened, but you couldn't possibly control luck.

"Why… am I alive?" I finally managed to ask. Jiraiya seemed disturbed by this question. Not necessarily because it was I who asked it, but probably because I was a much younger ninja than he was, and I sounded depressed I hadn't died (I was actually trying to convince myself I wasn't).

Jiraiya took another deep sigh. It was obvious that this was the source of a good deal of his grief. "Before the fight…" he paused, as if he was about to say something he couldn't quite believe, "Naruto passed a law—well, more like gave an order. It said that, should he die in the fight, you wouldn't be executed—instead, you'd become the Hokage. If you refused, you'd be executed. But, well… he's not dead yet. But if he does live, the thing is, he won't be able to return to work… and…"

Jiraiya was interrupted. A nurse hurried into the room. I recognized her right away—Hinata Hyuuga. "Hokage-sama is out of surgery. His… chakra pathways have been burnt out. He's got a lot of chakra-induced burns on his arms and his hands, and it's possible he'll never be able to use chakra again without another major surgery, but…" she took a deep breath, and out of relief, she smiled, "He'll live. He's going to live."

It was only a bittersweet piece of news—Naruto might not be able to use chakra ever again? All of his jutsu revolved around chakra—he wasn't like Lee. She then, turned to me. It was at that moment that I realized Hinata, like Sakura, had done a lot of growing up in the time that I had been away. Was it me, or was it them? Could it be both? Whatever it was, something was different when I saw them. I never thought I'd think Sakura Haruno, of all people, looked beautiful.

But she, even now, couldn't hold a candle to Hinata Hyuuga. She grew out her hair (which I did like long hair) to where it was actually below her bust. Her skin was still the same pale color, but instead of it making her look sickly, she looked shimmery, like she was made of ivory. Her eyes were no longer the same color of opaque white as her cousin's eyes were—now, they were a light shade of lavender. Her body was in amazing shape, as well. She had toned up a lot—probably from doing so many exercises outside with Kiba and Shino. She had a perfect hourglass figure—it was the only way to describe it.

And she was wearing _makeup_. Since when did Hinata Hyuuga wear _makeup_? I wouldn't have been able to tell, if it wasn't for the pink shade her lips were painted—but the lipstick was there, definitely.

"Hokage-sama wants to speak with you directly… Are you well enough to get up?" she asked gently. Even though I had hurt and almost killed Naruto, her Hokage, and ultimately, the boy she had had a crush on the majority of her life, she was being decent to me, even kind.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I grumbled. I slowly moved into a sitting position, my limbs and my bones stiff from lying in bed for so long. I was still sore, but I could deal with the pain.

"I'll announce that you're coming. Hurry up, though—you need rest. When you get back, I'll give you a pain-killer and a sedative," Hinata said simply. Her tone was still caring, but it was also professional—that of a nurse, or rather, a well-trained medical ninja.

She offered no help, nor did Jiraiya. They stood in silence as they watched me struggling out of bed. Once I did get up, Hinata turned in silence and began to lead me away from the room. I followed, not sure what to say, or if I should even speak.

This situation was fixed abruptly when Kiba Inuzuka came jogging up to Hinata. He threw himself upon her in an overly friendly manner, and he was panting. "Hinata… Akamaru twisted his ankle… My sister doesn't have any pain medication left. Do you think you could…?" his unasked question hung in the air. He looked even wilder than he had in earlier years—he almost looked like he was imitating the styles of someone tougher from another village. His hair was in disarray, his eyes were menacing, and his face was painted with the same wild, blood red paint.

With the way he was hung over Hinata, I guessed that they had dated, at least for a short period of time.

"Is Chiyo outside waiting for you, or is she back at the apartment?" Hinata asked. So that was the name of his girlfriend. What a dumbass—who would let such an angel leave him?

"Back at the apartment, bless her," Kiba was making an underlying sex joke. Hinata rolled her eyes. She was used to that.

"Bring Akamaru into the on-call room. I have to wait ten more minutes—I can't work on Akamaru while I'm still on my shift," Hinata changed the subject abruptly. "Oh, and don't bring him through hospital again, _please_."

Kiba nodded, saluted her playfully, and hopped off. I eyed him with a slight look of surprise, but I continued following Hinata without a word.

All too soon, Hinata turned to me and opened a door. "We're here," she explained.

This wouldn't be fun.


	2. A Change of Mind?

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: Pairings are as follows: Sasuke x Hinata; Naruto x Sakura; Kiba x Tenten; Shikamaru x Temari; and Chouji x Ino. There may be other couples, but these will be the main ones mentioned. In fact, the last three aren't even all that necessary—they are only there because I need filler couples.**

**Also, I'll be mostly ignoring anything after the series of Naruto. I don't know Sai and all of them all that well, though I will be using a few things from after the time skip—physical descriptions, for instance.**

What kind of medical drugs did the hospital have Naruto on? That was my first thought when I walked into Naruto's hospital room. Naruto was surrounded by cords, attached to every limb and nearly every available space of skin on Naruto's body. He could hardly move, and the most he could do was speak. There were a plethora of machines surrounding Naruto, all of them keeping him from dying.

And yet, the look on Naruto's face when I walked into the room was… well, for lack of a better word, angelic.

Well, it would be angelic, if said angel was high on laughing gas.

Naruto had a grin on his face that spread from ear to ear. He was bruised, battered, burnt out by his chakra, and obviously lethargic, but he looked like he was ready to jump out of the bed and practically tackle me out of sheer joy.

How could he be so happy to see someone who had nearly killed him multiple times?

I hid my surprise at his reaction. I simply muttered a greeting, feeling quite awkward. Not only was Naruto looking at me like I was a lover, just returned from a war, but every single person other than Naruto and Hinata were trying to kill me with heat-rays in their eyes.

And the total number of people in the room other than Naruto and Hinata totaled more than a dozen: Shikamaru, Temari, Sakura, Ino, Neji, Lee (I had never seen him glare before—it was kind of comical), Tenten, Chouji, Shino (I only knew he was glaring at me because his eyebrows were titled downwards), Tsunade, Shizune, Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma.

"Sasuke. How are you feeling?" Naruto asked, his oh-so-bright smile still shining like the sun on his face. Damn him.

"You shouldn't be worried about how _he_ feels," Ino snapped. From the look of agreement on everyone else's face, I felt that they were all thinking the same thing.

"What she means is, Hokage-sama, you need to concentrate on your own well fare," Hinata explained, stepping in front of me and blocking my view of Naruto. Obviously, she was going to play the peacemaker in this conversation of hell.

"Why do you still call me 'Hokage-sama'? Call me 'Naruto-kun', or even 'Naruto' again, for Pete's sake!" Naruto's voice was unnaturally quite, but even the almost whisper of his voice held all of his energy in each word.

"That's not appropriate…" Hinata blushed lightly—this type of blush was more demure than the bright red her face used to scream any time she was in Naruto's vicinity. It was more lady-like, and she even seemed less mortified when she talked while blushing. It was a carnation pink now, and not a tomato red.

"So? Heh, I'm far from appropriate…" Naruto smirked. Sakura hit Naruto lightly on the shoulder—obviously holding back—for a double entendre it was possible he could have made. The slap was almost loving, and she had a small smirk in return on her face. My eyes trailed to the ring on her finger, and I had an epiphany—Naruto and Sakura were engaged!

"When's the marriage?" I finally decided to interrupt. They made me get out of bed and travel through the hallways of the hospital just to go into a room full of people who hated me and watch my former teammates flirt? I didn't think so.

Sakura glared at me, but Naruto continued. "Well… I told Sakura I'd marry her once we got you to stay in the town. So… are you staying?" his voice held hope, and Sakura's eyes held an unspoken threat—it clearly read, 'Stay, or I shall pummel you.'

She had been waiting for a long time in order to get married, I presumed. That could be why she hated me so much—but, even without that, I'm positive there would be enough hate lingering.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a few things between the others. For one thing, I saw Tenten inch closer to Neji. As if in response to her movements, Neji automatically slid his hand into hers. Kiba had a girl I had never seen before hanging on his arm, a smirk on her face as she whispered into his ear. Temari seemed separate from everyone else, and obviously only cared for Shikamaru, as she was nearly touching him. Ino had gotten over her prejudices of superficial looks and weight, obviously, as Chouji had his arm wrapped around her neck protectively.

So many things I had missed. My friends—well, no, the people who used to be my_comrades_—had all gone on, obviously.

And they had been happy, up until I came charging back into their life.

As if Naruto was sensing my thoughts of wanting to leave his city, he suddenly addressed me once again. "Sasuke," he began, forcing my attention to snap back to the battered Hokage who lay before me, in the hospital bed. He looked so… breakable, even though his voice was as firm and strong as ever. "You're staying, right?" he asked, a small grin on his face. It was full of reluctant hope—more of fear than hope.

"No," my response was instantaneous. Why lie? Lying was unnecessary, and in this case, it wouldn't help me at all.

Naruto didn't ask questions—he simply slipped automatically in the offensive. "You know, if you leave, I'll make the city's top priority hunting you down—and this time, the hunt won't be to capture you. You'll spend the rest of your days an outcast. I'm guessing Orochimaru didn't give you permission for this little field trip? And there's no way you'd want to be a part of the Akatsuki… And you know how long lone missing-nin last," Naruto threw at me. He was using every excuse, every reason, every threat to keep me near him.

He had really missed me. The Naruto I knew would never have abused his power to contain one person.

Could it really be so bad? Living here, in Konoha again? After all, it'd be better than living by myself, out in the wild.

I could also make a new Uchiha clan.

And, on the bright side, I could always kill myself if I decided I hated it here—again. After all, they couldn't stop me from escaping the city _that_ way, now could they?

It'd be better than returning to the Akatsuki and asking for my brother's position, which I'm fairly certain is still open, as I was the one to obliterate my brother (even without using the Mangekyo).

"Fine," I simply replied. I turned to Hinata, my nurse. I wondered, in the back of my mind, if she would still agree to take me back to my room—I didn't know my number. She was, technically, off the clock. It was worth a shot. "Can you take me back to my room?" I asked curtly, staying polite, but only because she was the other person, aside from Naruto, who was willing to be decent to me.

"Mmhmm," she chirped. The sound she had made, on anyone else, would have seemed unintelligent and annoying (_"Why couldn't they sound out their damn words?"_), but coming from her, the words were musical and lilting, almost as if she was a cooing dove.

I followed her, keeping her melodious voice in the back of my head, out of the forefront of my thoughts. I tried to think of other things, of more serious things. Such trivial thoughts must be a resultant of the heavy medications they undoubtedly had me on. After all, the great and powerful Sasuke Uchiha would only even think of thinking about how lovely a girl's voice (or body or face or hair…) was when he was drugged up, right?

I hoped so.

The hospital was deathly quiet. Something seemed different than it had before, when I had lived in Konoha the first time. It took a long time to place exactly just what it was that was unusual, and then it hit me. The hospital was organized. Before, it had been masses of patients, visitors, and staff alike running around, belting out orders and requests.

But now, everything was in its place. Also, there were more people enrolled on the staff.

I didn't have long to ponder this fact, for Hinata had walked faster than usual in taking me back to my room. I hoped that was only because she needed to hurry to Kiba, so that she could see what was wrong with his stupid mutt. Maybe she really didn't like being in my company.

But what did that matter? A real ninja revels in loneliness, right?

So many conflicts… I don't feel like I need the medication to sleep. But, of course, as I'm lying in the bed, before I can protest, Hinata replaces my IV and adds another dosage of morphine. I drowsily ask her when I'll be released, and she promises (with her usual lilting tone), "Soon, Uchiha-san.You'll be released in two days, I believe."

I open my mouth to ask about Naruto, but she's already gone—as if she had vanished. But, that doesn't really matter, as I drift back off into sleep soon after I notice she's gone…

----

I woke up to light. This time, however, it wasn't blindingly white. The curtains had been closed—bless Hinata. She had actually thought about that, unlike Sakura. Sakura probably did it on purpose. Then again, I can't blame her. Hell, my leaving (aside from Naruto, I think) affected her the worst. I had been her one-sided lover—good thing I left before she started expecting me to date her.

I shuddered at the thought.

"Cold, Uchiha-san?" Hinata asked from the doorway. Her eyes were narrowed—if I was actually cold, that probably would have meant something was wrong.

"No. I was just thinking about something unpleasant," I explained, laughing lightly to myself at Sakura's expense. _You'd be extremely deluded to think that I'd ever go for someone with _pink_ hair…_

"Would you like something to eat?" she asked. I grimaced—hospital food tasted about as good as my cooking.

And I could burn ramen.

"Sure," I respond. The protest my taste buds were putting up wasn't nearly as strong as the protest my stomach was putting up at the thought of not eating for the duration of my hospital stay. How long had it been since I ate? Had they been purposefully starving me?

"The nutrients in your IV has been enough to sustain you," Hinata explained as she walked in the room, pulling along a cart of food (_Oh_, I thought dumbly to myself, glad I didn't say anything out loud), "But I find that it's best if you eat as well. Morale is higher," she finished.

The hospital food didn't look half-bad. It looked… good, actually. It smelled nice, it looked nice, and it probably even tasted nice. I eyed the ham, mashed potatoes, and peas. Hinata nodded and pulled the tray, passing it silently over to me. She pulled a pack of pudding out from under the cart—chocolate—and, with it, gave me a juice and silverware set.

"The food has really improved," I commented as I dug my fork into the mashed potatoes. It had been forever since I'd had _real_ food—everything I ate at Orochimaru's was made by Kabuto, whose recipes were made based off of nutrients (they looked more like pills), and when I was alone, I ate berries, roots, and poorly cooked fish and game in the wild.

Oh, yes, this was heaven. Well, at least, to my mouth. I still didn't like it here. It was horrible—everyone hated me.

Except for Hinata and Naruto, of course.

"Thanks," a small blush appeared on her face once again, and I stared in shock. That meant she was the one who was cooking—I quickly glanced over at the clock. 6:39 A.M. How early did she get here? I voiced my question, and she shrugged in reply. "I go home, sleep for about six hours, and come back. I'm still… technically… an apprentice. I'm learning surgery, and at the same time, I'm working on how to take care of patients. You're my only real patient, so I do a lot of work around the hospital. Like the food," she explains.

Most people would be haughty when explaining something like that. But Hinata just states what she does, and then leaves it alone. In fact, there is a sort of humbleness to her voice. _She'd make a good wife…_ I thought. I almost said it out loud, but at that moment, Sakura walked in. Apparently, Sakura had about the same schedule as Hinata did.

She continued on. "And, anyways, we don't have many patients recently. Naruto's stopped all the missions, aside from D- and C-rank."

"Why?" my shock was evident—how could a ninja city flourish if they weren't doing any important missions? It was stupid to stop doing the higher-ranked missions…

"Well, he's hurt. If something goes wrong, and the Akatsuki or the Sound show up," she paused, gauging my reactions to those names. Was it because my brother was part of the Akatsuki (formerly, I add with an inward smirk) and Orochimaru, the one who had taught me everything, was the leader of the Sound? Probably. "Well, if they show up, he won't be able to do anything. So he's only sending Genin and a few Chuunin on missions. The other ninja are doing renovation work around the city, and reinforcing it.

"Plus, he's started a program funded by Sakura. All Jonin must undergo a minimum amount of medical training, and the same training is available to Chuunin, too—but it's optional for them. I joined as soon as I could, because it was the only way I was getting any medical training. I'm the only one who stuck to the program—I've done more than the minimum."

"How long will this go on?" I asked, interrupting the flow of her speech—something I didn't like doing. My voice, which most women swooned over, sounded rough to me in comparison to Hinata's. It made me feel inadequate—but, by the same token, that didn't matter much.

"Until Naruto finds a decent replacement. Actually, it's only been about three days since he's stopped the missions. But the amount of backup that that has caused is astronomical… His first choice was Shikamaru, but he's not motivated enough. Then it was Sakura, but she's got the hospital… There's a long list. People like Shino and Neji have duties to their clans that must be performed, and last-resort people like Kiba and Ino are… too last resort. I don't know what he's going to do, because there aren't a lot of people he trusts with such a job…"

I'm scooping the pudding into my mouth at about this time. The pudding tastes horrible in comparison to the actual meal, and the juice tastes bitter—oh, I didn't shake it, too late now—as it's going down my throat.

"Sasuke. Naruto wants to see you in his room again. It's a matter of business," Sakura's announcement came suddenly, and she left as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She wasn't willing to spend alone time with me, it seems.

"His room number is 201, the master hospital room. Sorry, but I've got other duties," Hinata bows and excuses herself from the room after having cleaned my tray and placed my used silverware in a plastic box on the cart, full of other used silverware.

I rise and walked sullenly through the hospital. I notice the different looks I'm getting as I pass other people, people who used to be comrades. Some give me looks of disbelief, others curiosity, but the most often look I notice is the look of pure hatred (not that I blame them, I deserve it). Traveling the halls is uncomfortable, and I know just what the silent people had been talking about—me.

It doesn't take me long to find room 201. I didn't ask directions—I knew someone, being a smart ass, would send me in the wrong direction on purpose. Naruto has been moved out of his intensive care room, and will be staying the rest of his visit in his comfortable, apartment-like room. I hope.

I slide the door open without bothering to knock. I close the door behind me silently, and walk slowly into his room. He has the master hospital room, the largest on the floor—typical Naruto.

Naruto doesn't have the usual look of happiness as he sees me. He's got a grim look on his face—or, perhaps, it's only seriousness. I gulp silently, and realize something terrible.

Naruto has changed his mind.


	3. The Substitute Hokage

Never Meant To Win

A/N: Thanks for all the positive reinforcement on my story! I appreciate every single person who sent me a review! And… here's chapter three!

"Sit," Naruto motioned to a chair next to him. In this light, I could tell just how haggard he looked. His face was fraught with worry lines, as if he had been contemplating his situation for a long time. It showed. His entire being seemed to be sapped of energy—he was finally acting like someone who had nearly died. I could only imagine how weak and vulnerable he felt at the moment, as he was alone in a hospital room with his would-be murderer.

I complied in my usual, fluid motion. I slid myself into the chair closest to his bed, and, using the mannerisms Orochimaru had taught me, I sat up straight and placed my folded hands in my lap, with my head tilted up and my jaw clenched.

Naruto seemed to be barely able to sit up. He finally let out a rough sigh and began talking. "Sasuke…" I held my breath. It wasn't that I was happy about being in Konoha—it was that I had nowhere else to go. If I left now, Naruto himself had said he'd send ninja after me. I had already left the Sound, as my future there wasn't very bright. And every single ninja village was connected to either the Sound or Konoha. And so, no matter where I went, there would be people after my blood.

Why spend my entire life running? As a ninja, it followed that I would spend my life in constant paranoia. But, to spend your entire life in retreat was simply dishonorable. I refused to sully the great name of Uchiha in that manner. It was better to scowl and bear what you had to do.

Naruto finally continued. "It will take me about a month to fully recover, even with the Kyuubi's help. In that time… I will need a replacement Hokage. I cannot possibly recover, if I constantly have to worry about everyone else. Also, what good is a hospitalized Hokage when an S-ranked mission comes along? I can't do it… at least for now. I'm not giving my position up," he gave me a ghost of his foxy grin at that. "But… well, I'd probably do it anyways, but fucking Tsunade and Sakura won't let me. Like my being Hokage doesn't affect the fact that she still pushes me," he pouted, though I knew that Tsunade was as close to a mother as Naruto had ever had.

"Sasuke… I've tried every alternative. I have no other choice. Just… just until I get better… could you help run the office?"

This one little request had completely blindsided me. I was expecting him to send me away, or to want to place me in jail or prison, or at the very most, execute me.

I had never expected this. It had been so very far from my mind, even when Hinata and I had been discussing it earlier. I had never dreamed that Naruto would want me to be Hokage.

But there was no way I was doing it, no matter what.

"No," I replied firmly. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want the responsibility, and I didn't want to make myself so… obvious. I mean, I was kind of hoping that only citizens of Konoha knew about my being here. But, if I became Hokage, even if it was only for a short period of time, the other Kages would, consequentially, hear about it.

"I'm not asking," Naruto elaborated. "If I wasn't so desperate, I'd be asking," I had never heard Naruto use the tone of voice he was using now. Was that… professionalism? "In fact, I'll make a trade," he leaned forward as much as his battered body would allow him to. "If you do this for me, I'll put you on the payroll as a 'Jonin' ranked ninja and give you a position in the ANBU."

"You would have done that anyways," I replied coolly, calling his bluff, though my mind was going, _Shit!_

"No, I wouldn't have. I can have you work as a merchant, and have the ANBU constantly trailing you, to make sure you're not doing anything illegal. I'd have been considered downright _generous_ for just that, even considering you're my friend. To allow a missing-nin back into ninja ranks, or to even allow them back in the city _at all_, is pure folly. Do this for me—with supervision, of course—and I'll allow you to be a ninja for the great city of Konoha. Don't…" he smirked, knowing he had me with this, "And you can be a fish monger for the great city of Konoha, and I'll just have to entrust the job back to Tsunade, even though she's formally retired."

My hands weren't folded on my lap anymore. They were clenching my knees. I couldn't possibly work as a merchant. What kind of job would that be? All of my skills, my training, and my life would have been a waste!

Through clenched teeth and pursed lips, I responded, "Fine," curtly before standing up, and swiftly leaving the room. Feeling somewhat bad for feeling animosity towards someone who, all in all, _was_ giving me a good deal, I paused at the door, looked back, and added, "Get well soon." I sincerely hoped he did. The quicker he recovered, the quicker I'd be out of that damn Hokage's office.

----

Hinata pulled my clipboard up to her face and flipped through a few pages. She let the clipboard fall back against her stomach and gave me a smile. "You're good to go, Uchiha-san. We just need to get you checked out."

"How long will Naruto be in the hospital?" I asked for the umpteenth time. I knew that today would be my first day in office, and I wasn't looking forward to it. Also, my babysitter was _Sakura_. Why was it Sakura? I thought that Sakura couldn't be the Hokage because she had hospital work! Oh, but no, she could take time out of her busy schedule to _supervise_ me.

It was so fucking stupid.

"That depends on Hokage-sama," Hinata replied, once again, for the umpteenth time.

I sighed deeply in response to her answer (for the umpteenth time). It actually amazes me that she didn't get tired of my routine—I was constantly asking her that question. Well, okay, I asked her every time she visited me in the hospital. The thing I'd miss most about my being in the hospital would be the fact that I wouldn't be seeing her as often—

"Oh, and by the way, Uchiha-san, Hokage-sama has decided it would better your safety if I was your chaperone, as opposed to Haruno-san," Hinata interrupted my train of thought as she wrote on the clipboard. Probably jotting down vitals.

Well, I'm glad to be out of his hellhole, then.

----

All of my possessions included one set of clothing (I'm very grateful Hinata washed them for me), a set of kunai, a set of shuriken, and a few other weapons and ninja accessories. Unfortunately, I had no money, and one set of clothing was nowhere near enough to get by. I had asked Naruto what kind of pay I'd be getting, and he simply looked at me, blinked slowly, and then laughed. 

"Pay? You don't get _pay_," he responded, still guffawing. "You use as much money as you need from the city's budget—oh, but it _is_ checked by the consul, so don't go crazy. Food, clothing, whatever you need…" he sighed in contentment and sunk back against the bed. "Oh, but there are restrictions. Well, one restriction. Thanks to Tsunade, you can't buy alcohol using the city's budget. Damn whore." He seemed to pause. "At least it wasn't Jiraiya. Then there would be restrictions on porn—which, by the way, you _can_ buy and not get hassled."

I tried not to laugh. I did very well. Though, when I returned to my room, I let out a small chuckle. Like I'd give Naruto the satisfaction of knowing that I thought his humor was, well, humorous. Well, it wasn't his humor that was funny. It was his serious complaining and whining that was hilarious.

But even that much I'd never tell him.

Hinata helped sign me out, since I was completely lost. She signed herself out as well, and gave a slip to the head nurse—she took a look at the script, nodded, looked back at in shock, and stood gaping at it. I asked her what it read.

Hinata explained, "'Miss Hyuuga will not be able to attend work. She is to receive full pay, plus an additional bonus of 50 of her pay until the Hokage can be released from the hospital.' Something like that."

Naruto was very generous. I wonder how much money the city brings in, and how much Naruto is spending due to all of this?

----

I wasn't enjoying the shopping. I wouldn't have minded, if it weren't for the fact that I had to bring Hinata, too. She looked at my current selections—robes, and other things I had grown accustomed to during my stay at Orochimaru's—and finally, she mentioned it.

"Uchiha-san, you've _got_ to stop wearing that. You look kind of like…" She blushed deeply. 

"Like?" I wanted to know what she had to say.

She mumbled incoherently. I continued pestering her until she answered, which took a good two minutes. Finally, I got her to finish her sentence. "A pedophile."

I laughed (okay, I snorted) and then (smoothly) replied, "Well, I'm the one with the checkbook, so I can look like a pedophile if I want to."

"Actually…" Hinata trailed off. I didn't like the look on my face. It kind of looked like the look of someone who knew she had… leverage. She knew something that I didn't, and I didn't like that at all.

"Hokage-sama didn't want you going outrageous with spending and then bolting. Well, rather, Haruno-san didn't want you to. So… I have the money. And you're getting what I tell you to get," she whipped out the checkbook and stored it back in her shirt. She was wearing her medical coat, so I could only assume that she was placing it in an inside pocket on her jacket.

The shop owner looked at me, like he was expecting me to jump on Hinata and tear the checkbook from her shirt. No. I am a classy type of guy.

I considered begging, and ruled it beneath me. Instead, I took the smooth, eat-your-heart-out-fan girls manner of dealing with the situation. I leaned against the counter, smirked, and motioned at her. "So, what do you _want_ me to wear?"

She blushed a deep red color. It felt like a date to me, too. People usually picked clothes out for someone you're intimate with, right? "Whatever you want… just nothing that makes you look like a pedophile…" and with that, she ran off to the side, and pretended to look at kunoichi clothes. Laughing to myself, I browsed the other selections of clothing. I decided on four sets of black, baggy pants and four sets of a high collared, sleeveless shirts, along with a belt for equipment, an over jacket, and two sets of black undershirts—just it case I was going somewhere colder. If it were extremely cold—well, I'd have to buy more suitable clothing then.

We also bought some ninja equipment, though Hinata assured me that I wouldn't need it. Somehow, with all the looks I had been getting all day, I doubted that—even if I didn't have to perform an S-ranked mission, there would probably be at least _one_ assassination attempt.

Sadly enough, the walk to the Hokage office didn't take nearly as long as I had hoped. I was greatly dreading this—and damn Hinata, she was actually excited.

"I can't wait to get there—you know, it's almost like a hotel. Naruto set up a room for you—well, it's his room, so you can't move anything around—and he's got the guest room important members of other cities use, like the Kazekage and stuff. We'll get free room and board, not to mention all of the extra pay… I don't think Naruto would have done that, if it wasn't for that I was paying for my medical nin education myself…"

That last sentence did catch my attention.

"What, your rich father can't spend a few extra dollars on you learning how to be a medi-nin?" I asked, shocked. Her father was one of the richest people in Konoha, if not the richest.

"Well, he doesn't agree that my being a medical ninja is honorable, so he told me I had to live by myself until I took the clan over and that I had to pay for it by myself. It's kind of… rough, sometimes, but I get through." Hinata expressed deep discomfort discussing her situation. I figured she didn't like seeming weak or vulnerable—like she needed help.

I gained a lot more respect for her, in just those few sentences. Due to my newfound respect, however, I also decided to change the subject.

"So, why does the Hokage have so much money?" I finally asked. The question had been bothering me all day, a sort of nagging in the back of my mind. How could the village afford to pay so much, just to keep the Hokage happy? Was there no set wage for the Hokage? And how could the city possibly afford to keep up with Tsunade's drinking habits?

"Well, if I remember correctly, 10 of all the city's income goes towards the Hokage… The better the Hokage does, the more money they get. If they spend over the 10, though, they automatically are forced out of office, and a member of the consul runs the village until a suitable replacement comes along. The worse a Hokage does, the more they suffer. The better they do… Well, they get all the rewards. It's a pretty good system. I'm just worried Naruto will spend his entire 10 before the year's up…" Hinata frowned. It occurred to me, though for the most part, it wasn't obvious, that Hinata was probably good at handling budgets. She knew just how much I spent, she knew just how much Naruto had the ability to spend—I had the feeling that she took care of the budget for her place well.

"Here we are," I muttered, lacking a vast quantity of enthusiasm.

Maybe I should have killed myself with the IV in the hospital… Just take the needle and jab it into my temple… That would be a fitting demise—morphine to the brain.

I am a sick, twisted bastard.

----

The job of the Hokage is, for the most part, boring. The only really interesting part that I had to do today was assigning missions—along with the lower level missions, I had a huge number of upper level missions to assign. Some ninja had to leave the town for weeks, and others had such short jobs that I gave them more than one mission to help the backup.

By the end of the day, all of the Jonin, ANBU, and even some of the Chuunin were worn out. The Genin, of course, weren't affected at all—they had the usual amount.

Hinata had spent the entire day in silence, sitting in the corner of the room. At a glance, it appeared that she wasn't watching me—but, though she wasn't using her Byakugan, I found another usual trait of the Hyuuga—their eyes were so white that it was harder to tell what they were watching. By the time you could look closely enough to tell what they were looking at, they had already averted their gaze.

But, other than watching me, Hinata spent her day studying medical ninja techniques. I even saw her try out a few things, every now and then.

After assigning the missions, Hinata offered to make us some lunch. I agreed excitedly, already knowing that her cooking was much better than what I usually ate. She made me come with her into the kitchen, and though I offered to help, she didn't permit me to do anything. All the ingredients she had were from her house, which was silly, as I had 10 of the city's funds to live on.

I decided that, during the next meal, I'd either buy it for us or bring the financial ledger and/or some mission paperwork. Sitting there in silence was rather boring, after all.

This time, instead of making western food, Hinata made miso soup and a few other sides. It didn't really amaze me that she was good at cooking _that_, too. After all, she probably grew up on this variety of food.

"Is there anything you can't make?" I asked in disbelief as I dug into my rice.

"Er, well…" she paused, and seemed to thing about it. "I'm horrible at using the microwaves… I always burn it… Or I can't get the food cooked all the way…"

"Between me and you, that's everything, then. That's about the only thing I _can_ do," I said, rolling my eyes. Oh, sweet, sweet microwave—I would have starved due to Kabuto's 'nutritious' cooking if it wasn't for you…

She giggled at my comment. I didn't mean to be funny, but I laughed as well. It was a nice feeling, and that was something I wasn't used to. When was the last time I felt… _nice_? Good, happy, excited, warm, fuzzy, any of those Hallmark feelings?

I honestly couldn't remember. Wait—it was back before Itachi killed my parents.

Being around Hinata like this made it feel like she was pulling the child in me out of the ashes of my current self, the burnt out version of my former glory. I'm stronger now, yes, and smarter, and overall, a better ninja…

But back then I had something that most people don't have.

I had hope. I had dreams. I had happiness.

And, above all, I had love.

I had been silent for a few moments after thinking this rather depressing thought. I glanced down at my food, still halfway uneaten and starting to get cold. Hinata was nearly finished. I wiped my mouth quickly and stood, excusing myself from the table.

I didn't spend my entire lifetime to be the ultimate ninja to just throw it all away on fantasies.


	4. Silver Ghost of the Past

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: You know what so funny about everyone saying I'm doing Sasuke well? I hate his guts. I want to have him crushed underneath a two-ton bulldozer and laugh at his bloody remains. Ahh, such sweet fantasies… Right alongside being a vampire and killing off unsuspecting humans… Anyways, thank you all for the reviews!**

**Also, I know I said I'd be slow, but I'm always like this. In a few chapters, I'll start getting slower. Just watch. 'Tis my pattern. Gah.**

The pleasures of being a Hokage were few, in my opinion. There was more paperwork than actual work, and the paperwork was very rarely attention grabbing. Of course, if one didn't pay attention to the paperwork, little slip-ups could be made that would affect the entire village.

One of the more interesting parts of the job, however, was dealing with Konohamaru. He was constantly attempting to overcome me in the most outrageous ways—and besides, even if he _could_ defeat me, he wouldn't be the Hokage. Also, giving him missions was the highlight of my day—one that annoyed me to no end, but once Konohamaru was gone, I can't keep the small smirk of amusement off of my face. He really is just like Naruto, and seeing him often makes me feel the sharp pang of reminiscence. Seeing him makes me think of simpler times, when all I was worried about was getting stronger.

Also, I've convinced Hinata to help me with my paperwork, which elicits conversation from Hinata. Of course, to start, it's actually pretty quiet—she only starts talking when she needs my opinion, or when she needs my help. Afterwards, however, one of us will comment on something else, and then a conversation will is started. It feels nice and comfortable, being able to sit in the sunshine-filled Hokage's office and do paperwork at the same desk.

However, another part of the job is giving daily reports to Naruto. And that is actually very awkward because Naruto asks us questions about _everything_, including the things one wouldn't expect him to worry about. Finances, country relationships, and even the condition of the Academy are questioned. It amazes me to what detail that he interrogates us. Because of that, I have to actually _pay attention_ to the paperwork. Hinata does get the details of her paperwork, but I sometimes have troubles remembering everything Naruto's asking questions about.

Once the daily interrogation is over, Hinata and I make our way to dinner. I always pay for this meal, as Hinata prepares the other two meals herself. I usually allow her to pick where we eat, since I hadn't been in town long. I'm relieved to note that the glowers coming my way have diminished slightly—fewer and fewer people glare at me. It seems that now the list of people who still hate me—or rather, the people that are still _showing_ their animosity towards me—has decreased to the people I had been a Genin with (aside from, and there's always exceptions, Naruto and Hinata—even Shino glares at me). Not that it bothers me.

I've only been here a week or so, after all.

After the first few days, being the Hokage has become mundane for me. However, I've noticed recently that Hinata has been somewhat depressed. Is it her time of the month? Did something happen in her family? It isn't my place to ask.

I do, anyways.

"Is something going on?" I asked, my arms up to the elbows in paperwork.

Hinata looked up from her sheet of paper in surprise, her hand probably still in the middle of writing her signature. She glanced down at the paper, finished her signature, and then looked back up.

"N-no, not really…" she said. She had reverted to her 'shy self' again. She was lying to me.

"Yes, there is. There's got to be," I state very slowly. I had put my pen down, and was now staring intently at her.

Which didn't help matters, actually. It made her more nervous.

"U-uh-um… N-no there's nuh-nothing wruh-wruh-wrong…"

At that precise moment, a knock sounded on my door. I called an invitation inside, and one of the Hokage's couriers, Chemo (that was a nickname, I didn't know his real name) announced that Neji Hyuuga and Tenten Ama were here.

"Send them away. I don't feel like dealing with them," I moaned. However, I noticed Hinata's face fall—she had obviously wanted to see them. Was that the cause of her depression?

"Wait," I interjected. Chemo looked back at me, an eyebrow raised in surprise. "Let them in."

Hinata mouthed 'thank you' to me, and I hoped she didn't see the slight tinge of pink I just _knew_ was on my face. She jumped up from her seat in excitement and charged over to the door, meeting Neji halfway. There was a huge grin on his face, and Tenten looked pleased as well. Hinata turned to Tenten and hugged her as well, though not quite as fervently as she had tackled Neji.

"Hey, we have news," Neji said after Hinata had exchanged greetings with Tenten. Tenten smirked, and held up her left hand. On Tenten's third finger was a golden band, which was probably the extent of Neji's paycheck.

Hinata squealed in overjoyed excitement, and once again hugged Tenten and Neji. She congratulated them happily and they began to chatter about the wedding, how everyone was, and how things were going here.

I completely ignored them and continued working on the paperwork. Well, I didn't_completely_ ignore them—I paid attention to my work, yes, but I also made observations on Neji, Hinata, and Tenten.

In actuality, they only stayed for about fifteen minutes. But those few minutes were enough to make Hinata practically glow. Once they said their goodbyes, and Hinata sat back down, I addressed that. "Hinata," I said, suddenly, making Hinata's gaze jump from her paperwork to my face. "You may have people here for up to an hour everyday."

"You don't have to do that," she replied, her voice full of awe and shock.

"You don't need to suffer because of me."

Hinata gave me a soft smile, but all the same, a heart-melting one. "Thank you," she said again. She looked down again, and continued on her paperwork.

I wonder if she considers me a good person yet?

I hope not. She would be delusional to think something like that, after all.

----

Hinata had many different people over. First, she had Neji and Tenten over. Then, the next day, she spent an entire hour with Shino. Amazingly enough, they spent the entire hour in almost complete silence. There was some sort of ritual going on there—they spoke, but they spoke so softly, and only about 'important matters'. Then, she had Neji over, and they almost strictly discussed the Hyuuga clan (they did exchange some sentiments, ones I thought I'd never hear from Neji—"I love you", for instance). And then, there was Kurenai, who spent the entirety of her visit showing Hinata how to handle me if I ever made any passes on her or tried anything 'funny'.

She had Neji and Tenten over the most, for she discussed wedding plans with Tenten often. She discussed what outfits the bridesmaids would wear, what Tenten would wear, what the men would wear, where it would be held, and other such nonsense. It was almost annoying, but Tenten was one of Hinata's few friends that spoke to me, as well. She always gave me this knowing look, like she knew something about me the others didn't.

I think she understood why I left. Or something like that.

She even invited me to the wedding. How strange—I would have thought they'd put a restraining order on the wedding and me. Neji isn't as enthusiastic as she is about being nice to me, but then again, Neji was slightly closer to me than Tenten. Tenten hadn't been with me in the Academy, after all.

The office work, even if the people who visited completely ignored me, became less tedious after allowing Hinata visitors. The conversation also became more animated, as Hinata happily discussed important events in her friends' lives and in her clan, now that she had a means of gathering this information.

The weird part about living together, though, was sleeping and showering. Hinata and I had to sleep in the same room (not in the same bed, of course), which meant I've seen her in her pajamas. They weren't revealing, but then again, that was probably the problem—they were so childish that Hinata couldn't help but feel somewhat uncomfortable under my gaze. They were panda pajamas, with cute prints of the benevolent bears all across the white fabric. I thought it looked cute on her. One of the more unnerving parts for her, however, was that I slept in boxers.

Maybe I'll buy regular pajamas for her benefit.

But that doesn't matter. We also have to shower together. Sure, a black screen separates us—but we can still see each other's outlines through the screen. There are two separate water lines, so that way we can use different showerheads. We would alternate on bathing nights, but Hinata really _does_ have to spend her every moment around me.

I try to make it as easy for her as I possibly can, but sometimes that's impossible. Like when one of us has to use the toilet.

Naruto must not have thought this part through when he assigned me a _female_ chaperone. Or maybe he did, and like a good friend he thought I was going to eventually get sex from Naruto. No, more than likely, he either thought I was gay and Hinata had nothing to worry about, or that Hinata would never agree to being with someone as soiled as me.

Because, compared to her perfect pureness, my overpowering darkness pales in comparison.

----

"Are you getting along with Hinata?" Naruto asked me after he'd finished the official part of his questionings. I nodded casually, and he simply turned to Hinata. Few people didn't get along with Hinata, I was sure. "What about you?"

"Sasuke's is really kind to me…" Hinata explained.

"You don't need to lie for his benefit, you know," Naruto grinned. He didn't believe her—he obviously that she was using euphemisms instead of explaining her true feelings towards me. I hoped she did, somehow, but at the same time, I didn't want her to be.

"No… He gives me privacy, and even lets me have visitors every day… He also buys dinner for me…" Hinata shifted slightly under Naruto's gaze.

"She makes breakfast and lunch. And I'm not sleazy," I explained. I wanted to justify my 'niceness', but Naruto would hear nothing of it.

"Ooh, Hinata has finally put Sasuke in his place! Wish I would have thought about that a few years ago…"

"It wasn't your idea, it was Sakura's," I bit out, my tone annoyed. I was miffed that Naruto was changing Hinata's and my companionship into something that it wasn't. Hinata doesn't deserve to be with me—she deserves someone much better, a person who was actually good.

But no matter what, it didn't change the fact that being around her makes me want to be a better person. It really does.

----

It's time for Hinata's nightly humiliation once again. We both go into the bathroom, pajamas in hand (once again, boxers for me). Hinata closes a screen across the bathroom, and we proceed to undress. We can only see silhouettes and shadows, but it is enough to mortify Hinata. I throw my clothes unceremoniously around onto the floor and climb into the shower stall. I hear Hinata do the same. The black screen is made of a velvet-like substance, and is therefore very thin. I could easily take a kunai and slice through it without exerting hardly any strength.

I don't bother turning on the hot water. It does feel nice, and after extremely strenuous training, it's the only cure—but for regular days, cold showers are best. They give me more energy for the rest of the night, and keep me more awake and alert. Plus, every once in a while, he saw a little more than normal of Hinata, and that led to his over active imagination thinking of other things.

"Hinata," I addressed her, for the first time, while we were showering. It was a terrible move. I knew it would mortify Hinata—but even spending these thirty minutes in this sort of stressed silence made me uncomfortable. I decided to start easy conversation, and maybe eventually, Hinata wouldn't mind showering in the same room with me too much.

"Uh-uh-uh yes…?" Hinata's stutter was back. I had already noticed, by now, that her stutter only came back when she was extremely nervous or uncomfortable. Most of the time, she exuded confidence—but on certain occasions, like now, she would revert to the 12-year-old girl she had been.

"What would you like for dinner?"

"Wuh-whatever you'd like… is fine…" she replied. I could tell that her entire body was clenching in discomfort, without even looking—that's the way she handled me asking her what was wrong. This time wasn't quite nearly as bad, though. Strange.

"Well, what I'd like is to know what your favorite food is," I answered. Good answer, Sasuke. I couldn't keep the evil smirk off of my face.

"I-I luh-like…" Oh, no. It had become a personal conversation. Now The Stutter would get worse. Lovely. "Muh-my fuh-favorite food is…" she took a long pause. I halfway expected her to answer 'ramen'. I knew she had liked Naruto for nearly six years, maybe even longer. And I had a feeling that, before, she'd like whatever he liked, or she'd like whatever pleased him. "Fish…" she finally answered.

Ha. Naruto hated fish.

"We'll go out for seafood, then. That sounds good. I like crab, anyways," I said before I ran my hair one last time through the water coming out of the shower, as my neurosis about my hair was almost an OCD, and I switched off the water. I waited (if I stepped out now, it was entirely possible that I could see Hinata in her shower) and turned my back to the opening, so that when Hinata walked by, she wouldn't see a certain piece of my anatomy.

She climbed out a minute or so later, probably feeling rushed since I was done, and she climbed out. "O-okay…" she answered once she had finally grabbed a robe and averted her gaze. I climbed out and did the same.

----

Hinata was dressed in her usual ninja clothes, but as it was a warm summer night, she had decided to leave her jacket behind. Underneath her jacket was a form-fitting, long black shirt. It wasn't cut low, and it wasn't promiscuous in the least bit. But, somehow, the altogether look gave her the appearance of someone who was about to go out clubbing.

I had dressed in normal clothes.

We were just about to leave. I made sure Hinata had the ledger—she told me how much was left in our budget—and I had gathered all of the necessary items. We were also planning on making a stop by the hospital so that Hinata could check on a few people, and see what the next step in her medical training would be (I allowed her to do that instead of paperwork, if she wished, as it wasn't right to let her get behind in her training).

As we left, however, I felt a familiar chakra signature in the air. It was someone I knew very well. It was someone that meant for me to sense him, because otherwise, he could have easily hidden his chakra signature. It was someone who wanted to intimidate me, and probably bring me back to the place I had just escaped.

Kabuto was just outside of my window, waiting for me to be alone. I already knew what he wanted of me—and that was either my return, so that I could die, or perhaps even just my death.

My jaw clenched, but I would spend the night with Hinata as normal. I'd deal with Kabuto later that night, and I wouldn't allow Hinata to interfere.

He was so much stronger than her. And he'd have no qualms about killing her.

I'd deal with him alone. Like an Avenger should.

A/N: Yay, I'm putting 'Buto in! You guys know, I used to be obsessed with him. XD Now, my obsession is Shino… I think. I also do like Orochimaru, but that's mainly because he's the oldest bishie (pretty man in anime/manga) I've ever seen. Lol


	5. Epiphanies Realized

**Never Meant To Win**

The night passed far too quickly. I couldn't believe how easily being in her presence helped me keep the thoughts of having to deal with Kabuto later on in the back of my head. But it was still there, nagging like an itch you couldn't quite reach, and one you couldn't ask someone else to scratch. Despite all of this, conversation with Hinata was easy. In fact, we talked about her for once—she seemed nervous about it, but that was to be expected.

I found out a few things about her. For instance, she had dated Naruto for a brief period of time. She was the one who broke up with him, however, when she realized that Sakura was the dearest person to him, no matter what Hinata, herself, did. Not a week after that, Sakura and Naruto started dating. Hinata, by then, had finally come to accept this—she even went out with Kiba and Shino for a short period of time. Her relationship lasted longer with Kiba than it did with Shino, but the way they all broke up was different. Kiba found that, though he thought she was beautiful, he thought of her as a little sister, and doing anything romantic with her felt uncomfortable (which she understood completely). Her relationship with Shino was more like them being friends that spent a lot of time with each other, and he was the one to break up with her, due to reasons he said he couldn't confide in her.

Soon after her break up with Shino, Kiba had to tag along with Hinata to send a message to Neji during his training with his team. A girl, Chiyo, was with them. Kiba found that she was a fun-loving girl, who was sort of like the female equivalent of himself. A day later, Kiba announced that they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Shino, unlike Kiba, still hadn't dated anyone else since Hinata.

"So, have you ever dated anyone?" Hinata asked. She obviously expected that there were a lot of decent girls in the Sound, or that I had enough time to date there. Both were completely wrong.

"No girls suited my taste. And I didn't have time, really," I replied. I didn't want to go into the details of having been at Sound. I didn't want her to know about my 'dark period'.

"Oh," she replied, picking at her salad. It was a good thing that waiter picked that precise moment to bring our food to the table, because in all honesty, if he hadn't, things would have been uneasy for a little while.

My steak, cooked rare, and loaded baked potato was placed in front of me. Hinata had ordered catfish and hushpuppies (which I loathed). "Don't you like seafood?" Hinata asked, probably wondering why I went to a seafood restaurant, but order steak.

"No."

"You… didn't have to go to a seafood place for me… We could have gone to a steakhouse…" Hinata shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Seafood places have better steak, anyways," I dismissed her comment with a wave of my fork, and stuffed another piece of the bright pink meat into my mouth. Hinata grimaced. "What?"

"How can you eat it bloody?" Hinata's disgust was almost… funny. The way she cringed at the sight of blood, even though she was a medical ninja, was cutely humorous.

"Blood gives it flavor. But it's beef, so it doesn't matter." I restrained myself from giving her the mental image of me biting a chunk out of a live cow. Somehow, I think that would cause a conniption, since Hinata seemed thoroughly against eating anything bloody.

We went home soon after. I even bought her dessert—a low calorie chocolate pie. I was adamantly against the low calorie part (those things have absolutely no taste) and I skipped out on dessert. Having a sugar crash just before meeting Kabuto wasn't desirable.

----

"Good night, Uchiha-san," Hinata said as she crawled under her covers. Before she could pull the switch to her bedside lamp, I stopped her.

"Call me Sasuke," I commanded.

"B-but…"

"Call me Sasuke. We're past Uchiha, I'm sure. Sa-su-ke," I sounded out each syllable, as if the only reason she wouldn't say my first name was a manner of her not knowing how to pronounce it.

"Sa-sasuke," she stuttered and nodded. She turned on her side, away from me after turning her light out. I sighed, but with a small smirk on my face, I turned out my lamp and stared at the ceiling.

_Just one hour… And then I'm coming after you, you silver-haired bitch._

----

It had been a good hour and a half. Hinata's deep breathing was a good sign she was in a deep sleep. By now, hopefully, she had gotten so used to me not trying to escape that she wasn't even slightly alert. I got up slowly, walking very carefully, more carefully than I probably actually had to. I stealthily passed by her bed and went to the door. Easing it open, I made my escape into the main hallway that led to the office. I still walked in the same carefully measured steps, even when I was out of the hallway and could see Kabuto waiting for me.

In a pose that I had seen him in often, Kabuto was leaning against the large windows with his arms crossed over his chest. One leg was standing him straight up, bolstering him up so that he could bend one leg behind him onto the glass.

"Take your feet off of the glass, Kabuto, you'll smudge it," I said by way of greeting. He laughed lightly, haughtily, and stood straight up, a full foot away from the window now.

"If it isn't Orochimaru's favorite little errand boy, Sasuke," he started with a smirk. He pretended to look around the room in surprise, teasing me lightly as he said, "Well, you've done pretty good for yourself in the past… three weeks. Hokage already? You did well for your first month. Next it'll be dictator," he hissed in disgust at the last part.

"Just like Orochimaru, then?" I asked with a small, lilting laugh to my voice. We had fun with our little games—lots of fun.

Kabuto, without any warning whatsoever, slashed downward with his hand. Engulfing his entire hand was his signature medical chakra, a sky blue number. It was shaped like a dagger, and probably had a range about three inches longer than what was visible. He charged forward at me with intense speed. I was used to such an attack, as he did help with my training when Orochimaru was away on official business. I dodged to the side, and in mid-air, I whipped out two handfuls of shuriken. Ten shuriken were soon sailing at Kabuto.

I wasn't expecting the attack to work, and it didn't. He blocked about half of them with his chakra blade, deflecting them skillfully. At the same time, he dodged the others in a whipping and twirling motion. While my decoy attack was preoccupying him, I threw a windmill shuriken at his blind spot. However, he was used to fighting with me as well, and that tactic was one I used often. He suddenly thrust down his blade when the elephantine shuriken was nearing him, and with precise accuracy, he used the blade to send the same shuriken flying back at me.

I wanted to use my fireball jutsu so badly. I wanted to send sparks at him, to send a meteor-sized ball of flames at his body. But fire wasn't the element for a building, especially the Hokage's office. Especially with Hinata sleeping in the room next to us…

A kunai narrowly cut my shoulder. I cursed to myself, before I began running around Kabuto in a wide circle. I jumped onto the desk, past chairs, and all the while, I was throwing kunai and shuriken and any other weapon I could get my hands on. I knew that, if I kept it up, I'd soon be completely out of weapons. I didn't usually carry around so many—I favored jutsu over weaponry. But, unfortunately, I had never thought that, soon, I'd be in a situation where jutsu wasn't possible. I could do lightening… No. That was as bad as fire. And I couldn't use earth or water, or even wind. I was stuck with metal.

I missed every single throw. The combination of Kabuto's expert dodging and blocking skills, combined with my below par aim, was enough to keep Kabuto from even getting grazed by a projectile. I closed in on him, armed with only a kunai. We were soon fighting each other hand-to-hand, up close and personal. I used my kunai to keep Kabuto's blade of chakra from hitting me, and at the same time, Kabuto and I attempted to hit each other with our left hands. It was almost comical, but we did it at such a speed that, to the naked eye, we would surely look like blurs. To the ninja eye, however, we would look like dancers, skilled in the art of fighting.

_Shiff. Shiff. Clink. Shiff. Clink. Clink. Shiff._

That was the sound of the chakra sliding across my kunai and it clashing against it. It wasn't symmetrical or planned—the sounds came and went, changing with volatility. It all depended on the way Kabuto attacked. As hard as it was for me to admit, I was on the defensive.

He suddenly stopped, jumping away and turning towards the hallway. I looked as well, though I knew right away it was a possible blunder—Kabuto could have been bluffing, and would now, if that was the case, be attacking me from behind.

"Ahh, if it isn't the graceful, beautiful, and talented Hinata Hyuuga," Kabuto greeted her with a smirk—a leer. There were sadistic thoughts going on in his mind. He wanted to torture her in front of me—or vice-versa. He wanted one of us to feel pain, to feel so utterly useless, and to wish the punishment on themselves.

He probably wanted to torture me, but you never knew with the psychotic types such as Kabuto…

"What is going on here?" I had never, ever heard Hinata talk with the inflection she was using; she was conveying an emotion I had never heard her use. She was angry.

"A… reunion," Kabuto replied for me. "This should be interesting. I'm assuming that I have to fight both of you?" he laughed haughtily. He was too smug from having been on the winning side of our fight. He was underestimating Hinata's skill.

I was pretty sure that Kabuto was measuring Hinata only by her medical skills, and not her ninja skills as a whole. She was a Hyuuga, after all.

"No. Leave," Hinata's answer startled me. I wasn't expecting her to give Kabuto a fair warning, an easy out. But I knew Kabuto wouldn't take it.

"Leave? Now? The party has just gotten… interesting," he charged forward at her, chakra blade shining in the dark room. I attempted to throw a kunai, which would have hit his head, had he not deflected it with his blade. Hinata stood there, calmly, waiting for him to arrive at his destination.

In a movement so utterly fast and swift that I almost missed it, Hinata had Kabuto on his knees. She had ducked under his raised blade, and had used her tenketsu to hit him hard in the stomach. Kabuto coughed blood, and at the instant that Hinata had hit his stomach, the chakra blade dissipated. Kabuto landed on the floor with a thud, curling himself into a ball in the typical fetal position.

He had lost. And Hinata had only done one move.

Hinata seemed a lot more intimidating in that one moment than I had ever thought of her as.

"Must we kill him?" Hinata asked. She wasn't angry anymore. There was a tone of remorse to her voice, as if she was sad.

"If we don't, he'll escape. He'll report everything to Orochimaru. And then we'll have even more problems."

Hinata nodded, and I had a feeling she knew this all along. She picked up a kunai from the ground, which had lain there, dejected, since I threw it at Kabuto. She pressed it to his throat and, in a motion that was more confident and sure than I had expected, she sliced apart Kabuto's neck.

Hinata took off Kabuto's ninja jacket and soaked up the blood that had poured onto the floor initially, and wrapped his head with the jacket. She either didn't want Kabuto's blood staining the floor, or she thought it was disrespectful. Perhaps it was both.

"We must see the Hokage-sama. Now," her tone had changed so much in the past few moments. It had been infuriated only a few minutes ago, and then sad, but now, it was professional—ninja-like.

----

We traveled to the hospital in a hurry. I had taken the body from Hinata before we left, and she led me through the now dark and desolate streets of Konoha. Only a few signs were still lit, and they were all those of taverns and bars. Traveling at ninja speed, we arrived at the hospital in only about five minutes.

Not surprisingly, Naruto wasn't awake. We had to send a night nurse in to arouse him. It only took her a half minute to actually awaken him, and once she told him who had come to see him, he actually seemed to bolt out of his bed in surprise, as I heard him yell a particularly foul word (fuck) that Hinata couldn't help but blush at, even considering that we were here on extremely serious business.

We walked into the room, ignoring the odd looks we got from the nurses, doctors, and medical ninja who were eyeing Kabuto's dead body, especially his head wrapped in a blood-soaked jacket.

Naruto's eyes widened at the body, but then his gaze hardened. He looked at me, and before he could ask, I explained. "Yakushi Kabuto."

"He… He attacked the Hokage's office while I was sleeping… Sasuke and he fought… I woke up to the sounds of their battle… And I killed him… I'm so sorry, Hokage-sama, for failing to do my duty. You may fire me if your wish, and any punishment you give me would be just," she bowed low, and it suddenly occurred to me that, because Hinata wasn't with me from the start, she could have gotten in trouble.

Naruto sighed deeply, and finally answered, "I'll have an ANBU bury the body in the woods. Starting tomorrow night, ANBU will be watching the Hokage tower, my room, and your room. One ANBU will be in the room with you—the others patrolling outside. Oh, and Hinata—stop The directions he had given were amazingly detailed, considering how long it took him to come up with him. Naruto had grown wiser, more intelligent, and more (formally) strategetic.

He was worthy of the name of Hokage.

Hinata thanked him. Naruto instructed the nurse to attract the attention of an ANBU—more than likely, one would be patrolling around here, sooner or later—and to give him the instructions Naruto had written down.

We walked slowly back to the office. It was now an hour before dawn. "We might as well stay up, now," I said with a sigh. The silence needed to be broken. Hinata didn't reply. I had thought about it, and she really did deserve at least this much. Finally, I placed a hand on her shoulder (a bold move). She turned to me in shock, and I said, "Thank you."

She smiled a warm smile, that, even though Hinata was sleep-deprived; her hair was messy from the fight, running, and sleeping; her skin was pale; and her face was filled with worry lines, it made her look extremely lovely.

"You're welcome," she replied. She turned her head back in front of her.

"I take it you don't feel like cooking?" Before she could answer, for I knew she would answer that she didn't mind (she always did), I added, "Let's eat at Ichiraku's." We were just passing it, and the open sign had just been put out. We would be the first people there.

"O… Okay," Hinata said. Just as the words issued from her mouth, Hinata tripped over a pothole in the road. I leaned forward, catching her, much quicker than I would have if it were anyone else. In fact, I had never gone out of my way to help anyone, especially not instinctively.

In that one startling moment, I had a sudden epiphany, one that had been toying with me in the back of my mind, but was now painfully obvious.

The reason I thought she was so beautiful, no matter what condition she was in.

The reason I paid so much attention to the little details, every little reaction, and every little word.

The reason I cared so much for her.

The reason that she was the only person I had ever thanked.

The reason she was the only person I was grateful for.

The reason she was the only person that didn't, ultimately, annoy the hell out of me.

I loved her.

And there was nothing I could do to stop it.


	6. A Letter Received

**Never Meant To Win**

Things changed, somehow, after I realized my own dirty little secret. I was much more careful around her, trying to convey as little emotion as possible. I was positive she noticed the change in my demeanor—it was a subtle transition, but Hinata was one of the most perceptive women I had ever met before in my life. The major change was the fact that I always kept a measured distance away from her, and that I let her do most of the talking. The distance I kept from her wasn't too far away, but at the same time, I never got anywhere close to her. As for the change in the conversation, I went from doing 50 of the talking to doing about 35.

Hinata definitely noticed. I could tell, for she kept switching the conversations back to me and raising an eyebrow at the constant distance I kept from her. However, she never directly commented on my actions. It was as if she was almost afraid to comment, like she didn't want to offend me or overstep her boundaries. I did like that about her, because it was completely respectful—a result of clan life—but at the same time, it worried me. Even people in clans comment on things such as a sudden change in demeanor, if it involves people they are close to.

Even after nearly an entire month of being near her, she still didn't trust me? Or was it that she didn't like me? Or was it that she didn't feel close to me, like I was someone who was just there, but never stood out?

I was infuriated by the fact that someone like Hinata could make me, the great Avenger of the once great clan of the Uchiha, insecure and feeling… worried. I had never worried before.

"Pass me the ink, please," I instructed. We were in the middle of paperwork. Well, _I_ was doing paperwork—Hinata was studying. I appreciated it when Hinata helped me with such things as Hokage, but I didn't want that to affect her work while she did it, and I hated interrupting her during her studies. Even if it was for something like passing ink.

"Sure, Uchiha-san," she replied. When she looked up at me, I saw the ghost of the shocked and scared 12-year-old from the Academy—the surprised, dear-in-the-headlights look she would get when Iruka would ask her a question (though she always got it right).

Almost as soon as I took the ink, had dipped my pen in the shimmery black liquid, and had poised my pen to write out a signature of approval, Chemo burst through the door. He wasn't breathing well. He was wheezing, inhaling the air as if it was a precious drug and he had been in withdrawal.

He didn't spit his message out until he composed himself, and was breathing halfway decently. Finally, he went from hunched-over with his hands on his knees to standing straight up and ready to talk. "Uchiha-sama… We've received a message from the Sound… For you." Chemo pulled out a scroll, and crossed the room. He was holding out the scroll, and even from my seat, I could tell that the seal on the scroll had been broken. Naruto, undoubtedly, had read it. Not that I blamed him from screening my mail. Obviously, however, it was important enough to get sent to me, anyways.

I unraveled the scroll, and read it. Hinata looked over a me and the scroll curiously, but she made no attempts whatsoever to read it herself. For her benefit, after I had skimmed through the letter, I read it aloud.

"Dear Sasuke-kun… It seems you have killed my dear and precious Kabuto. No matter, really, I had Kabuto train another Sound member in the art of the medical ninja, and it seems he'll be put to good use… But, that doesn't change the fact Kabuto failed to convince you to come back home. It seems that, since Kabuto didn't achieve the goals of the mission, I shall have to perform myself. Pity. I was hoping you'd come home yourself. Now you've forced my hand. I expect that you'll be hiding behind your Hokage friend, Uzumaki. Be forewarned—I'll kill everyone in front of you to simply capture you. Stand and fight yourself.

Oh, and give my regards to Hinata Hyuuga. It seems you've made a new friend. I hope you're ready to say your goodbyes.

Orochimaru."

I hissed out a vile curse word, flinging the letter across the room with a swift force. The word came out like it was actually a curse—a curse that cursed the letter, Orochimaru, and all of Suna.

But something terrified me.

Kabuto had been dead a grand total of three days now. Kabuto hadn't reported back to Orochimaru, not to my knowledge. And Orochimaru's tone came out as if he knew that Hinata meant more to me than the average Konoha citizen.

Damn it all.

But something was odd. Orochimaru made no mention that Hinata had been the one to kill Kabuto, not me. Why?

"You received this letter today?" I asked, suddenly switching back to composed, as if my tantrum had never happened.

"That's right. Early this morning."

"How was it received?" I asked. Chemo bit his lip, pausing, as if it was something horrible.

"A… Genin went on a C-rank mission with his team. They had somehow been separated about a few months ago. And… The dead body of that Genin was clutching the letter. His… His chest had been ripped open, and a strange seal had been placed inside the open cavity. His dead body had been controlled in order to relay the message. The Genin, according to the people who did his autopsy, died recently. There were no signs of torture… but the boy had been given Orochimaru's seal. Apparently, the seal has… changed, somehow. We believe it now gives Orochimaru complete control over the people who are branded."

"Is that all?"

"Well, that's all the information we have. But the Hokage also wants to see you, Uchiha-san," Chemo replied, running a hand through his hair.

"Thank you. You're dismissed," I said, waving him off. Of course Naruto would want to see me. It was only sensible.

----

Once we arrived at the hospital, we were faced with an infuriating obstacle. On the way into Naruto's room, Sakura stopped us. She still looked at me with pretend unacknowledgement, as if she didn't know me. "I'm sorry," she began, turning to Hinata, as politely as she could, "But Naruto has requested that Uchiha-san visit him."

Hinata nodded quietly, sitting down in one of the chairs beside the room. I didn't see the point—if she wanted to, she could easily look through the walls using her Byakugan, and read our lips to find out what we were talking about. But, then again, that would mean compromising Naruto's wishes—I knew she wouldn't do it.

I felt alone, though not intimidated, as I walked into the hospital room. Naruto was recovering more and more quickly each day—I had a feeling that the exponential increase of his healing was due to the Kyuubi regaining its strength, or perhaps, the Kyuubi had found a way to rebuild Naruto's chakra system so that it _could_ heal him faster. Who knew?

"Sasuke… You can't go after Orochimaru alone," Naruto spoke, staring at the window as he did so. I thought it was weird that he wasn't looking at me, and I thought that his tone was strange, almost as if he was in a trance.

"I'm not letting people die because I fucked up," I responded harshly, annoyed that Naruto wanted to protect _me_, of all people.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want you to go away again. This time, you'll never come back. I'll just lock you up in the jail, put you under heavy surveillance, until Orochimaru comes… We'll fight him, and won't let you out until he's dead, and then you can come out, and everyone will be happy…" He was rambling. I knew he was. He hadn't faced very much death, or at least, he had never faced the death of someone he cared about.

But he only cared about me because we were kindred souls. Two people who had to grow on their own, starting from nothing or nearly nothing.

"People die. I'm a ninja. It's in my job description. Besides… I can't let other people die for me. If I die, I can live with that, because I will have died because I messed up. But I couldn't live with a lot of people dying to save my hide."

Naruto didn't reply.

"You'd want the same."

Naruto's head fell. He had lost.

"Fine. But you're staying here for the fight. Wait until Orochimaru comes, then fight him."

I didn't reply. I wanted to intercept him, to stop him from getting anywhere near Konoha. But I didn't say anything about that to Naruto. I knew what he would answer—a firm, resounding no. I'd have to sneak around the ANBU.

"Do you remember that place?" Naruto suddenly asked, pointing out the window. I looked, and realized just where it was. It was where we had first talked, not met, but first talked to each other.

"Yeah. I called you 'dobe' for the first time, and you called me 'teme,'" I chuckled at the memory, nostalgia setting in.

"You were resting from your training, and I had watched you from behind for a while," Naruto had restarted the story, from the beginning this time.

"And then you showed me your 'Sexy-No-Jutsu'. I called you a loser," I couldn't help but laugh.

"And then I called you bastard, we fought, and your brother had to break it up," Naruto was now joining me in loud bursts of laughter, guffaws pouring out of our mouths. That had been a long time ago, about fifteen years, but we both still remembered it clearly.

"The next day, during recess at the Academy, we were both sitting on the playground because they didn't want you for playing ninja, and I didn't want to play," I started a new story with a small smirk.

"I said I was sorry for calling you a bastard, and you just nodded and turned away."

"Then you got mad because you wanted me to say I was sorry, too, and we fought again…"

"We rolled off the top of the slide and Iruka-sensei had to pull us apart."

"I was an idiot," I sighed wistfully. Reminiscing like this made that fact painfully obvious—I had been an idiot, even more so than Naruto had been intellectually.

"Yeah. I was, too."

We were silent for a moment.

"I'll be healed in about three days. Kyuubi finally got off his ass. I was thinking of putting you in ANBU, at Jonin status."

"No, I should take the test."

"Hey. You did beat the Hokage," Naruto flashed me a grin. I sighed, shaking my head, but I knew his logic couldn't be argued with.

----

That night, I lay awake for a long time. My assigned ANBU member, the one that stayed in our room with us, Muraki, watched me intently. He obviously wasn't worried about a ninja trying to come after us—his concern was purely in me attempting to leave. After a while, I simply turned over on my side, away from him. Even from the corner of my eye, I could tell that Muraki's hands flew to his shuriken pouch. I sighed, trying to fall asleep.

But the letter was still vibrantly in my mind.

Suddenly, Hinata spoke. Perhaps my shiftiness awoke her, or maybe, due to it, she couldn't sleep from the beginning.

"Would you like a sleeping pill?" she stood, pulling open a drawer beside her bed. She took out a small bottle, of what looked like prescribed medication to me.

"Sure…" I trusted Hinata not to give me strange drugs. "But aren't those prescribed?"

She nodded silently as she poured the correct dosage into her hand. Muraki had gone, unbidden, to fetch a glass of water. He wanted me unconscious, it seemed.

"Why aren't you taking them?" I noticed the bottle was nearly full—it was like she never took them, or only took them rarely.

"I don't like taking drugs. I'd rather get over my insomnia myself. I only take them before an important mission," she explained, handing me two light blue pills. Without even pausing to consider that she could be poisoning me in any way, I popped them into my mouth and drunk half the glass Muraki had fetched for me.

It occurred to me at that moment that I'd miss nights like these, as well. Sleeping in the same room as Hinata. Eating with Hinata. Speaking with Hinata. I wouldn't have an excuse once Naruto took up office again.

"Oh, Uchiha-san?" she asked. I was feeling slightly drowsy, but the effects of the pills hadn't completely overtaken me.

"Yeah?"

"Um… Well… In four days… My clan is holding an exhibition. I have to perform against Neji-nii-san. I was wondering if you'd like to come watch?"

I blinked slowly. I was feeling more and more drowsy, but even though I was getting sleepier and sleepier, I still managed to mumble out, "Sure… Love to…"

As I fell asleep, I could hear Hinata's musical chuckle, a small laugh probably due to my inflection, which, in turn, was due to her pills…

----

I awoke, and it was hardly dawn. Hinata, however, was already up and making her bed, and she had changed into normal clothes. Two more days until I was forced out of office, and three more days until I wouldn't see Hinata every day.

Perhaps I should purposely slit my wrists every week so that I'd get to see her.

But that prospect seemed a bit extreme.

"Good morning, Uchiha-san," she chirped brightly. Hinata was a morning person.

"Morning…" I mumbled, annoyed that I had to wake up. I _wasn't_ a morning person. I felt tired, and it was hard to pull myself out of bed. Hinata, though I had never been conscious to see it, I'm sure simply _bounced_ out of bed. And the sleeping pills from last night didn't help.

"We have a meeting with the city consul," she reminded me as she fluffed her pillow, setting it upright on her bed. Since she couldn't leave the room so that I could change, Hinata simply sat in the chair facing outside, towards the window. I didn't care if the window was open while I got ready—though I was sure that the elderly woman from across the street watched me daily—so she was able to look outside, to give herself something to do.

"Where?" I grumbled, throwing off my pajamas. I had broken down and, for Hinata's sake, bought less revealing clothes. She was much more comfortable around me at night and in the morning when I wore them instead of simply my boxers.

"We're meeting them for breakfast at a small restaurant called 'Kikichi's…'"

I nodded in reply, though I knew she couldn't see the affirmative action. I finished pulling on my clothes, making sure my shirt was neat-looking and my pants were latched and zipped. "Let's go," I finally said, turning towards the door. Hinata, swiftly and silently, stood and, in what seemed to be a connected motion, fluid and graceful, turned towards me as she stood.

We walked (I walked, she glided) to the lobby of the Hokage's building. This sounded like a much simpler task than it really was--it actually involved walking down a set of hallways into the main office, walking to the stairwell, climbing down about twenty flights of stairs, walking back inside, and riding the elevator the next five or so stories.

Once we arrived, signed out in the main lobby, and had walked outside, we were stopped by a very annoying (in my opinion) blockade. Neji Hyuuga was there, and he held out a letter for Hinata. They exchanged a wordless glance, and when Hinata noted the seal on the front belonged to her clan, she turned away from me so that I couldn't read her letter. It probably included some very important business about her clan. Perhaps it even discussed the meeting that was in four days.

Her frantic eyes skimmed over the letter a few times before she gaped at Neji. She stuttered a bit as she apologized and bid me goodbye, and then she was running down the street, not at ninja speed or jogging, but just at the barrier between having to use chakra and normal running.

"I'll be your escort. I have influence with the consul, anyways. I'm the one who deals with them in matters of my clan," the words Neji spoke were meant to be reassuring, but somehow, I couldn't help but wish it were Hinata, and not her cousin that was my side.


	7. An Unexpected Battle

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: Don't know the real names for the council members. I'm just referring to them as the elder woman and the elder man. Good enough, ne? Don't be that weird reader that goes anal on me because I don't know all the names of all the minor characters. ;D**

"Kikichi's" was a strange place for a consul meeting, or at least, I thought so. When I first heard the restaurant's name, I was expecting it to be a high-class restaurant, one that was worthy of a Hokage visiting it. What I _didn't_ know that, by night, "Kikichi's" was a bar. A brother and a sister, apparently, ran it—the sister ran it from six in the morning until six in the evening, and her brother ran it from around seven in the evening until four in the morning. It was a nice schedule, or so I thought, because that meant double the income. However, as the sister ran the business for longer, she did get more of the income.

We arrived, and it didn't look like a bar—though it was a building that could easily be transferred into a bar. Three men were already sitting at the bar, all eating different foods and acting as if the others didn't exist. Only two people were at booths, and those two people were the members of the consul. Neji and I made our way over to them, crossing the room silently. They had already ordered, and had some sort of juice placed in front of them.

"Uchiha-san. Hyuuga-san," the woman greeted us as we arrived. We exchanged greetings with both her and the elder male, and sat down. The waitress hurried over with drinks for Neji and me, and it was the same odd-looking liquids that the elders were drinking.

I didn't ask, but the answered my unspoken question. "It's a type of protein shake with vitamins. It's this restaurant's biggest revenue—a shake for ninja," the male explained, taking a long drag of his own, as if to prove his point. I glanced over at the other ninja, the ones sitting at the bar, and all three were drinking their shakes—in fact, they were drinking their shakes, and hardly touching their food.

I lifted up my glass, and, knowing it would taste horrible, I washed a mouth down my throat. Somehow, however, the person who made this concoction had managed to get rid of any horrible taste (though the aftertaste was bad). It didn't taste _good_ by any means, but it was like drinking clumpy water.

"Let's get to business, shall, Uchiha-san?" the woman asked, bringing the topic of conversation from the shake to what we were actually here for. As I sipped at my drink, Neji and the elder male had been chatting lightly.

I nodded, set down my drink, and leaned forward. "Na… Hokage-sama is getting out of the hospital sometime tomorrow, correct?" I had decided against calling him 'Naruto' in front of these people. They would bite my head off, I could tell.

They gave me similar nods in response to my question, but it was the male who spoke first. "And, after a month and a half—nearly two months, actually—we've looked at everything you've done. From the first day, everything seems… Neat. Almost perfect."

"Thank you," I responded politely.

"It wasn't exactly a compliment. You see… We're suspicious of you, Uchiha-san," the woman added. If she had been younger, I'm positive she would have smirked.

"Suspicious?" Neji asked. There was no contempt, nor a huge amount of disbelief—he simply wanted clarification—as did I.

"Yes, suspicious… You leave, come back, and suddenly you care enough about the city to run it well? Most missing-nin who left the city wouldn't bother."

"Hinata Hyuuga helped me a great deal," I mumbled.

"A shame such a nice girl had to put up with the likes of you. You've really hindered her medical training, you know. And she worked so hard to be able to go through it all…" The elder woman was starting to annoy me. It was plain she didn't like me, while that may not have been the case with the elder man. "And even, after all of this, after your betrayal, which you should have been _executed_ for… You're getting a Jonin position, no test, _and_ a spot on ANBU?"

"I didn't ask for any of that," I protested.

"No, you didn't have to ask. You used favoritism to gain Hokage-sama's approval. You've been playing him like a puppet, manipulating him to…"

"Don't," the elder male pleaded, but the woman continued on.

"Do whatever you want, things you don't deserve, _and_ holding back that poor, sweet girl…"

I slammed my hands down onto the table. The dishes clinked together, and all of the restaurant's customers looked at me. Some posed to fight, and some of the less fight crazy ninja sat back and waited to enjoy a brawl.

"Look. I did my best because Naruto is giving me all of these things, and I don't want to upset him. And as for Hinata, I did my best to get her switched, but Naruto wouldn't hear of it. If you have a problem with everything he's given me, or what happened to Hinata, speak with Naruto himself," I hissed at her. The woman glared at me, and I wondered if she had already spoken to Naruto. "I'm glad she didn't come. She would have been greatly upset by all of this."

I gulped down the last of my shake, thanked the elders for breakfast, and stormed out of the building.

----

When I checked back at the office, Hinata still wasn't there. I decided to go to the hospital, to pay Naruto a visit. When I told him about my 'evaluation', he laughed at me.

"You're the second one to yell at them about something they've said about someone in office," he chuckled at me, seemingly thoroughly amused.

"Well, you're looking better," I mumbled sarcastically, a scowl on my face. The scowl, however, didn't feel sincere… for some reason.

"Yeah…" he trailed off. "Tsunade-baa-chan really gave them a piece of her mind."

"Tsunade? I thought you yelled at them," I responded, slightly shocked.

"No. That old lady is scary," Naruto replied, and I could see, in his eyes, that he was being completely honest. I shook my head at him, in mock embarrassment, a soi-disant brave leader. But he was brave—if it wasn't for his basic fear of women.

----

I returned to the office. Hinata had finally returned, but she had already eaten and needed rest. Neji was still with me, but the entire day he had been quiet, ever since the meeting. I tried asking him if he knew what had been bothering Hinata, but he just slowly shook his head. I knew that he knew—he was just refusing to tell me. Whatever it was, it had to be something horrible. Finally, in lieu of a real answer, he told me, "You'll find out when you come visit the Hyuuga estate." Of course, this was after Hinata's nap and shower, and I now wanted to go to bed, so he left just after he made that particular statement.

----

The next few days continued on without incident. Naruto had taken back office, but he did it in a strange manner. He didn't send me out of the office—instead, it was like I had become Hinata, and was spending my time helping Naruto. Hinata had gone back to work at the hospital, and when Naruto visited Sakura, I visited Hinata. Sakura still was mad at me, and wasn't speaking to me, so Hinata and I spent time alone in whatever room she was working in. She told me she actually performed in a surgery yesterday night, and I told her I was happy for her. She was progressing very quickly—I wonder why she hadn't been going quite that fast before?

As I walked back to convene with Naruto once again, I stopped. The Elder Woman was talking to Naruto—she was obviously angry, and Naruto was acting nonchalant about the entire ordeal.

"—So you're just going to let that little Uchiha brat come in and hurt Hinata-chan's chances of being a great medical ninja?"

"You'd think I'd do that? Ruin someone's career just because I need someone to be babysat?" Naruto was practically growling—he _did_ sound intimidating.

"Look at how much time that poor girl lost… Nearly two months!"

"Actually, it benefited her, you old cow."

I paused. What was _that_ about?

"I chose her," Naruto continued on, "Because I knew she needed time to study. Her father wasn't giving her time, and if she was going to training, fulfilling clan obligations, working hospital shifts, and doing anything else her father gave her to fill her time, she'd never get any better. She'd improving so fast because, during those two months, all she _did_ was study. She's going to grow at the same rate Sakura did, just watch."

The Elder Woman stormed off.

The count has been upped to three.

----

I was still thinking about Naruto's words. What kind of father was Hyuuga Hiashi? If he was the kind that purposely gave Hinata extra work to keep her occupied so that she couldn't achieve her goal, was he the type of person I really wanted to meet? I decided that this question wasn't something I really should be asking Hinata—somehow, I knew that it would only upset or anger her in some way.

Two days after Naruto returned from office, it was time for the Hyuuga's presentation. I was both looking forward to it and dreading it—I was looking forward to it because Hinata would have some part in it (she had to, as she was the future clan leader) and I'd get to see her; dreading it because I would have to meet her father and, soon after, I'd be leaving to fight Orochimaru.

Hinata and I actually had to go _buy_ an outfit for the occasion. Naruto was paying for it—sort of. He told me that he'd take it out of my paycheck, once I had actually gone on enough missions to get a paycheck. As it was, he was giving me a few days off. He was allowing me to walk around by myself at this point, which was nice, aside from the fact I could sense the ANBU following me, even if it was without Naruto's orders.

After all, one of their mottos was to constantly supervise any suspicious person.

This was extremely annoying to me, however. I can tell that they are following me constantly—they don't do anything at all to hide their signature. Not only that, they also carried on conversations while they're following me, and they talk loudly enough for me to hear only certain phrases. This was a recent development (the conversations, at least). It seemed like someone had ordered them to provoke me. I wanted to turn around, and threaten them with lethal wounds, but I knew that any negative attention that I drew to myself wouldn't be a good idea. In fact, I didn't want any attention at all. That way, when I disappeared, I did more fading than just a sudden evaporation.

----

When I arrived at the Hyuuga mansion, I was surprised to find that I was welcomed as warmly as any other guest. However, when I paid more attention, I realized that the people that had greeted me were also talking about me behind my back. I went into the room that the servants directed me to, and saw a line of Hyuuga officials. Hinata was sitting to the right of her father. Then, on the left of her father was Hanabi Hyuuga, Hinata's younger sister (who was now a Chuunin, and had advanced very quickly through the ranks) sat, and to her left was Neji. There was an empty spot on Hinata's right, and I deducted that that was my seat.

"Thank for you inviting me," I said by way of greeting when her father glared at me.

"It is no problem, Uchiha-dono," she changed the suffix on my name. Was that her doing, or because she was in front of her father? Dono was still respectful, but at the same time, it was used for people on your level—the san was used for people above you. Her father seemed pleased.

The meeting was boring, at first. There was a statement of old and new business, none of which pertained to me whatsoever. And then, suddenly, Hinata arose. I looked up at her, slightly confused, and I noticed she had shed the baggy robe she had been wearing. Now, she was in a more elegant dark purple kimono. It was made of a shiny silk, clingy to every curve of her body. It was covered in lavender flowers (which looked like discolored cherry blossoms to me), which crawled across her torso and down her legs in vines. The bow that was tied around her waist was big and bulky, and was also a lavender color.

Oriental music began playing softly, and Hinata pulled a fan from her sleeve. Her gaze connected with mine for but a brief, shockingly electric millisecond before her eyes glazed over in concentration, no longer paying attention to anything but her dance. Her legs and arms moved gracefully, and her sleeves flowed around her body as she danced, as if they weren't a part of her kimono, but wings. Every move she made was carefully measured, but I wasn't paying much attention to the chorography—I forgot each move seconds later. I was lost in the overall vision of her dancing—her face, her movements were all like a dream to me.

The music faded after about ten or fifteen (had it only been that long?) minutes of her dancing. She bowed low and took her seat once again, but made no move to cover her kimono with her robe once again. I wanted to compliment her, but as soon as she finished, Hiashi stood up and began talking. I paid little attention to his words—I was thinking about the dance, and I felt almost as if a ghost of the dance was playing in my mind.

Soon after, we were all dismissed. I tried, once again, to talk to Hinata—but her father pulled her aside.

With a sharp pang of loss, I knew that that would be the last time I saw her for a long time—perhaps even forever.

She did make the kimono look _really_ good, though.

----

It wasn't hard to sneak out of the apartment Naruto had allotted me. I dressed, packed an extra set of clothes, a few provisions, and soon, I was out of the apartment. Naruto still hadn't been able to put me in the ninja registry, as the elders were giving him trouble due to the fact I hadn't even passed the Chuunin exams (which kind of figured). The ANBU were working full-time on the Orochimaru case as well, as Naruto had ordered them to recently. Therefore, no one was watching my window.

Had Naruto's kindness given metamorphosized into folly?

Yes, it had—probably sometime before he graduated the Academy.

Or so I thought. As it turned out, he had _one_ ANBU watching over my window. It wasn't ethical to kill him—he hadn't done anything wrong, but he was adamant about my staying in Konoha. Damn Kakashi.

"We haven't had a chance to talk since you've come back, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi smiled brightly at me, closing his book and quickly placing it in his back pocket.

"Yeah, well, I've been busy," I retorted. I wasn't about to fight just yet—I did feel bad about not paying a visit to him, after all. Just slightly.

"Oh? Aren't you unemployed? You've hurt my feelings. I would have hoped that, once you had a moment of free time, you'd have visited me. Or do I have Hinata Hyuuga to blame for that?"

How did he know?

"I know because I've been watching you, Sasuke-kun," Kakashi somehow knew my unasked question. Did I twitch or something? My expression hadn't changed… "You act… softer when you're around her. Like you're mesmerized by everything she does, everything she says. Well, Sasuke-kun… Bad news. She's engaged, you know."

"Engaged?" I choked out. I shock off the shock before he could continue. "That's good. Even if I had a chance… She's too innocent."

Kakashi laughed, and I could tell he was enjoying this thoroughly. The bastard.

"Haven't you ever heard 'darkness to light'? 'Opposites attract'? Anything like that?"

"Are you going to let me through?" I growled out, tired of this conversation. It was none of his business.

"I'm afraid I can't, Sasuke-kun," he sighed, and yawned. "Can't you just go back to bed? I don't feel like fighting… I was in the middle of a good scene, you know."

"Sorry. I'm afraid I can't, Kakashi… sensei," I smirked, before shifting into a battle stance. He hadn't hesitated due to the use of the 'sensei'—something I had never done for him before. I had always just called him Kakashi, referring to him as if he were a peer, and not someone worthy of teaching me. I had hoped that this rare sign of deference would have made him pause, even if for half a second. But, Kakashi was more skilled, more experienced than that. He knew I'd take that opportunity, just like any other ninja would.

Hinata, I hope whomever you're engaged to makes you happy and deserves you. Be happy—I'll probably die during this personal mission, after I escape or win, or whatever I must do.

We activated our Sharingan at the same exact moment.

It was time to force myself out of my deluded fantasies and face the realities of being a ninja once more.


	8. Inside the Snake's Lair

**Never Meant To Win**

******A/N: Mmkay, people have been asking for it—there is a part of the chapter in Hinata's POV. Which part is it? Separating Hinata and Sasuke's POV, the separating mark will be underlined, instead of the usual. Okay? Good. Sorry about the long wait, I always get slight writer's block whenever I have to write action scenes. But those chapters _are_ necessary… Oh, and while you're still reading this, thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. It has become my most popular story thus far, and I'm very proud. Okay, you can read the damn chapter now. ((Woohoo, longest author's note EVER!!))**

My hands flowed into a fireball jutsu, a move that Kakashi copied easily and just as quickly. The fireballs flew at the same time, and at the same time, Kakashi and I flung ourselves back gracefully, flipped, and landed back on our feet. I landed effortlessly into a taijutsu stance that Orochimaru had taught me, but Kakashi landed back into his casual, hands-in-pockets-bored-look-on-face stance. My hands were becoming more seals, which became a smaller jutsu, but with more results. We were fighting outside this time, so all I had to worry about was the fire catching the attention of other ninja, which wasn't unlikely, but at the same time, it was the least of my worries.

Kakashi, it seemed, was even able to copy the amounts of fireballs I threw at him. I was using my Sharingan very little, and finally, I decided to see if he would make any moves.

He didn't.

If I just stood there, Kakashi would stand as well. He didn't seem to be interested in making any moves of his own.

Kakashi was firmly against fighting a past pupil unless it was absolutely necessary, and due to the simple fact that he made no moves on his own was explicit proof of this.

I charged at him, a kunai raised in my hand. I had no ill will towards Kakashi, and I wasn't planning on hurting him, but hand-to-hand seemed like it would be the best way to solve the fight. However, Kakashi copied my moves just as quickly and efficiently as I dished them out, and by the time I had reached Kakashi, he was ready for me. Every move I made, Kakashi parried or blocked effortlessly.

It was then that I was positively certain that this fight was completely and utterly useless. Kakashi knew it as well—I could tell from his lazy movements, the fact that he didn't seem to preoccupy himself with attempting to win.

Finally, I jumped away from Kakashi, who mirrored this move. I couldn't win. It would be a nearly never-ending battle, and could only be own by one or the other becoming exhausted.

"Kakashi. You'd do the same if your teacher was threatening the entire village," I noted, a pleading tone in my voice. _Please, let begging work…_

"That's not why you're going," Kakashi accused.

"Yes, it is. I don't need a bunch of innocent people dying because of someone like me," I snapped out. Kakashi's eyes didn't widen at all, but he simply gazed at me, as if taking me in. "Besides, I… need to protect Hinata…"

Kakashi continued staring at me, before finally, he took out his Icha Icha book once again. He flipped to the page where he had been, and eyed me curiously from the novel. "This scene really is interesting… So interesting, perhaps, that I'll just forget everything else around me…"

I smirked, and within seconds, I was up and away, charging forward through the town towards the immense forest that lay beyond this sleepy little town. My home. Hopefully, my last thoughts would be about this place, and the angel it contained.

----

My battle plan was simple. I knew where Orochimaru would be—it was engrained onto my mind. Now that I thought about it, wasn't it strange that Naruto didn't interrogate me? This sort of information seems almost protocol to obtain…

Anyways, a requirement of being a ninja of the Sound is to memorize every hideout. We stay on a week-by-week schedule, and there are 56 hideouts—one for every week of the year. As it stood, it was the 38th week of the year (near the end of September), which meant that the current hideout was in the cliffs of Suna. However, due to the fact that it was nearing the _end_ of the 38th week, they'd be moving soon, to a location six miles south of the Cloud.

As the Cloud aren't our allies, the Sound has made an agreement with them that they can have a few hideouts around there. In fact, the Sound has six hideouts in that area, which is the most condensed area of hideouts for the Sound around the world.

As I traveled towards the Cloud, knowing that I'd get there just after they settle in, I did a lot of thinking. I figured if I _did_ make it back to Konoha, I'd be considered one of two things—I'd either be a missing-nin, and be chased and/or killed, or I'd be a hero. It all depends on Naruto's temperament, and how well the people receive me… again.

How strange that I never cared for Konoha before, left, and then, when I came back, within a few months' time, I felt like that place was home? Did it have to do with Orochimaru? A change in myself? Killing my brother? Hinata?

And, also, how _had_ Orochimaru known that Kabuto failed? It was a good fight, but I suppose it was apparent that I would win in nearly all circumstances. Had he foretold the outcome of the battle, or had he had some kind of correspondence with Kabuto, even in his final moments?

_Another plus_, I couldn't help but think to myself, _is that I'll finally be rid of his power, maybe even the damn seal, whether I die or not._

----

When I arrived, I wasn't entirely surprised that no one but Orochimaru and a few other lackeys were at the hideout. A lot of the time, actually, most people weren't around the base—the only reason they memorized the locations of the bases were to be able to report back to Orochimaru.

The base was a mansion that used to belong to a Cloud official. He died without family and his home was repossessed by the city of the Cloud. Orochimaru purchased the mansion, which was three stories high and laden with traps all across the perimeter and first two stories. It looked like it was straight out of a bad vampire movie—which was pretty impressive, as it was a beautiful home before Orochimaru bought it. The garden had fallen into a state of disrepair—all the trees and flowers were wilted, mostly dead, and all the grass was a crispy brown. The paint, originally white, was crackled and dry.

Sasuke took in a deep breath before he began walking down the path. He knew where every single trap was, at least leading _up_ to the house. He even knew the only way to completely enter the quarters without incident. He grabbed a hold of the knocker before he moved it from side-to-side, and suddenly just let it drop. The door swung open slowly, the locking mechanism in the door having been deactivated.

I walked through the hallway, avoiding certain traps. However, I tripped over a poorly nailed shag rug, and trotted directly upon a known trap. When a set of blades _didn't_ embrace my ankle, I was more than slightly suspicious. I carefully retraced some steps, throwing kunai or shuriken on other known traps.

None of them worked—at all.

Though I was still being cautious, as it would be folly not to be, I ascended the stairs without incident. Usually, there would be traps all across the first flight of one set of stairs, and then another set of traps on the second flight of the other staircase (one had to swing from one staircase to another to safely get past the traps, if traveling by the interior). However, I made it to the third story easily, and I couldn't help but think that all this had been done on purpose, somehow.

My theory was right. When I arrived on the third landing, a few feet from the top of the stairs, in a large stone throne, sat Orochimaru, in all his gray glory. When he saw me, his eyes lit up with excitement, and involuntarily his tongue flicked out, caressed his upper lip, and shot back into his mouth. His skin was looking wrinkled, older—he needed a new body, and quick.

"Sassssssuke…" he hissed. He arose, the smirk evident on his face. "Have we come back to join me, now that you've reminded yourself why you've left Konoha? Or is this a… business meeting?"

I put on the best glare. "I want to get rid of this seal and the one who created it."

He sighed, though I was positive that he knew my objective for coming here. "My dear Sasuke, don't tell me you've gotten attached to Konoha again?"

"Well, I wasn't attached _before_, but… Yes. Konoha is my home. I was just too stupid to realize it before."

Orochimaru, in a flash, was behind me. I didn't sense his movements, until I realized his position. Damn. He was scores ahead of me. Could I possibly win?

"Need I remind you about people like _us_? We are their geniuses, the cream of their crop. We are the best, and yet… They treat us like dirt, using us up and then spitting us out. We get no honors, no privileges; we just work all our lives, risking our very existence day after day after grueling day. We, the 'sullen', the 'dirty', the 'impure of soul', are the only ones to realize what they do to us…" he hissed everything directly into my ear. It was a form of mind control on some people, but it didn't work on certain other people—such as me. It was whispered at a high-speed, each word flowing into each other. Unless it was whispered to _you_, it was indecipherable—anyone listening in had no clue what the snake Sannin was saying.

"That's not true," I said, in the same manner someone commenting that the trees' colors were turning would. I stated it as a fact, but Orochimaru knew that it hadn't been stated as a belief.

He continued on, which I knew he would do, even if I had made the statement with more conviction. "Our souls are different, soiled, impure, dark. We are the strongest, smartest, best, most talented, but we are treated the same as anyone else… Everyone else is below us…"

_Everyone? Naruto? Kakashi? Tsunade? Sakura? … Hinata? Are they all below me?_

_They can't be._

_Can they?_

_Someone as lovely as Hinata… As caring as Hinata… As smart as Hinata… As well-mannered as Hinata… As beautiful as Hinata… As strong as Hinata… Below me?_

_No. _

_Not possible._

"No." I said. My voice had gained strength, the strength of a belief. Orochimaru froze momentarily. "Below us? No. They are above us, and they are the ones we must work towards. We must work harder to become caring, to become emotionally strong…"

Orochimaru smirked. "Ahh, we're thinking of Hinata Hyuuga." He paused, allowing the fact that he knew what I was thinking, and the fact that he knew about her sink in. "But there's something you don't know. Did you know that, if you got into a real fight with her, you'd win hands down? That she's so weak, that she needs someone to look up to? Like Naruto. She needed him, and he hardly knew she existed. She lived off of his words, using the words like they were directed at her. No, my dear boy, if we go after them, it would be devolution."

I knew he was a lost cause. I didn't press it. He continued hissing lies into my ear, lies that used to make up my entire life. They didn't care, didn't matter, and were weak, unimportant—I used to belief religiously in all of that. But I didn't now believe in that anymore, and it was beginning to infuriate Orochimaru.

I slid my hand slowly down my pants and pulled out a kunai. In a flash, it was at his throat. Before I could even get close to doing anything, however, he had circled around me, and wrapped a pallid hand around my throat. He began hissing in my ear, but this time, the hisses were making me sleepy. I tried to fight against the unconsciousness that was clouding my mind, but it was to no avail.

----

"Hokage-sama. The die is cast. Sasuke left last night, and I alerted the mission members without incident. They've followed him to the Cloud." This was Kakashi's 'report' to Naruto.

Currently, I was planning for my wedding. My father was oh-so-very cruel. Not only was I being married against my will, but also I had to plan my own wedding. Somehow, when it is an arranged marriage, the simple questions like "What color should my dress be?" and "Hmm… The fish or the pork? I know Aunt Jen is allergic to fish…" don't come up as much.

Not to mention, there is someone else I would have for the groom… But he's not here, and I must not think of him.

Therefore, such planning took a backseat to my work at the hospital. Now, _that_ was important. I actually got to assist in a few surgeries, and (mostly for practice) Tsunade even allowed me to perform an appendectomy with chakra!

"Hinata," Naruto addressed me, shocking me out of my deep thought.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" I replied, always polite.

"Stop with the Hokage-sama. It's just us two in the room, now that Kakashi is out. Call me 'Naruto-kun' again. Please?"

… He's being weird. Clingy, almost. I wonder why? Well… He is the Hokage. Better do what he says… "Only if you tell me what's on your mind, Naruto-kun," I added his name at the end so that he could extract whatever comfort he could from it.

He smiled slightly, and heaved a deep sigh. "I know that I've sent a good deal of ninja after him, but… It doesn't seem like enough. I've sent Jiraiya, Tsunade, and a few other Jonin… But somehow I can't help but think I should be there, too. I won't know until they return, if they return, what the fate of my best friend is."

_He won't admit it out loud, but he needs comforting. He needs to know that at least one of his old friends is there for him. I'm not nearly as close to him as… Sasuke… but I can be there for him…_

I hurried to his side, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on his head in an awkward embrace. But then again, everything about me was awkward. "It's okay, Naruto-kun. I'm still here, and Sasuke is…" I paused. I didn't like thinking about Sasuke, because that worried me. But I pressed on. "Sasuke is strong. He'll come back, and so will all the others… Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya, Neji, and all the rest will be _fine_." Not only had Sasuke gone, but Neji had, as well. I needed his advice now, and second to him was Tsunade, whom was gone as well.

And Sasuke…

It was true. I had only really known him for a few months, but it seemed like so much longer. I thought about him a lot, though I pushed such romantic thoughts to the back of my mind whenever I needed to. I _did_, however, allow myself the pleasure of fantasizing about him before sleeping, or when bathing, or walking, or anything else that didn't require any active thought.

"You must miss Sasuke as much as I do," Naruto muttered.

"W-wh-what m-m-makes you think that?" Damn. I stuttered again.

"Really, Hinata. I know you like him, maybe love him." He paused. "And I'm sorry your father is making you marry Shino. I know… that you want Sasuke. But, even as Hokage, there's nothing I can do. It's all up to fate, and Sasuke, now."

I was still silent. There was nothing to say, and I wasn't going to deny it.

It was the sad, sad truth.

"You know," Naruto chuckled to himself, "I put you two together on purpose. You see, I knew that the best person to be his friend when he came back would be you—you're warm, caring, but you're not overly physical with your affections."

"You wanted us to get together?" I was in shock. Disbelief had clouded over my mind—how could Naruto foresee such a thing?

"No. I'm no matchmaker," he frowned, "But if someone was to date you, or Sasuke, then I'm glad you two feel for each other."

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke doesn't care for me in that manner."

Naruto smirked. "Did he say anything?" I pressed on.

"He doesn't have to."

"… It doesn't matter," I said, firm resolution in my words, "I am to be wed to Shino Aburame in a week. And that's that."

Naruto sighed, defeated—or simply merely aggravated. After all, who could truly defeat the great Hokage-sama Naruto Uzumaki?

----

I blinked slowly, coming to in the middle of a warm bed. If I had been a normal prisoner, I would be waking up much later, on a cold, wet floor instead of a bed. Beside me, at the nightstand, was the boy who used to be Kabuto's assistant.

"Shiniji," I greeted, a tone of dislike in my voice.

He didn't return the greeting. "I figured you'd wake up about now. Orochimaru-sama told me to me to deliver the message that the preparations for the body transfer. It will be tonight."

_Shiff. Shiff._

Shiniji, being someone unfamiliar with sounds pertaining to ninja, he simply continued on. I wasn't sure if he had heard them or not, but he had been 'adopted' by Orochimaru just a year ago from a village, and he didn't hold much shinobi potential, though he would become a good replacement for Kabuto.

But all that didn't matter at the moment.

Was that the sound of Sound ninja coming to witness Orochimaru's body change? Probably.

Shiniji slams a needle into my leg, full of what I know to be a sedative. When I wake up… I won't own a conscious anymore.

My last coherent thought is: "I hope the bastard who marries Hinata deserves her."He continued on. I knew he would, even if I had stated it more as a belief.


	9. An Easy Victory and Rushing Home

**Never Meant To Win**

**AN: Really sorry the updates take so long. A few days get added onto the time between chapters because good ol' refuses to keep my formatting in with the chapters, which includes the stupid separators. And, especially in this chapter, there is a lot of POV switches. In a previous chapter, someone pointed out that the separators weren't there—which was greatly appreciated (don't feel like looking it up, but you know who you are) as I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.**

**A/N-2: Okay! I think I have solved the problem. For the seperators, I'm going to try using the horizontal lines. For Hinata's POV, it'll all be in italics. ((Sorry about all the changes, but the changes in format is better than not reading the chapters until actually fixes the problems with Firefox uploading documents, right?))**

I awoke to an earthquake. My world is moving back and forth, and my body is shaking uncontrollably.

Once I fully recover my sense of vision, I'm looking into the (concerned?) eyes of Neji Hyuuga. He lets me fall back down to the bed after he's down, and he begins to speak. "You don't sleep on missions. Reinforcements are here, including the two Konoha Sannin."

"What?" I asked. However, the slur form the sedative was so much that it came out as more like: "Wha?"

Neji sighed in frustration. He ran a hand through his hair—which, for some odd reason, was loose—and began talking again, this time in an even more hurried speech. "Tsunade and Jiraiya are outside, fighting Orochimaru. It seems like they are winning, but Orochimaru managed to slice open Jiraiya's arm, and Tsunade is too busy to help him, so he's not doing well. A few other Jonin ANBU members are fighting the other members of Sound, and currently, they outnumber us, but most of us are more skilled. You and I are needed, so get _up_!" At this point it was obvious he was fed up. I sat up as fast as I could, which still wasn't fast enough. I staggered as I walked, my limbs numb and sore.

Neji was obviously irritated with my inebriation. I'm not sure if he just didn't like having to take care of people, or if he just knew that he had an important obligation to be out on the battlefield, but whatever it was, he had reached his breaking point. He growled in annoyance, stormed to the bathroom, and walked out with a cup of water. He tossed it directly upon my face, and the water felt _ice_ cold.

I shook my head a few times, both in disbelief and in rage. However, the water did do what it was meant to do—it definitely gave me back my senses. "Lead the way," I muttered to Neji, not having fully forgiven him for tossing the liquid onto my face.

He appeared aware of this, but didn't seem to mind.

We hurried down the corridors, rushing to the battleground. When we arrived, I saw a few Konoha ninja fighting Sound ninja. "Where are the Sanin?" I asked Neji, surprised he hadn't run off to fight.

"They're outside. It's better if you stay here and help us, though…"

He didn't get the entire sentence out. By the word 'better', I had dashed for the front door.

The three of them were fighting, Tsunade and Jiraiya against Tsunade. They had already summoned their animals by now, Orochimaru with his snake and Jiraiya and Tsunade with their frog and slug, respectively.

"Sasuke," Orochimaru greeted, even in the middle of the battle.

"Get back in the house!" Jiraiya barked at me, probably angrier that his arm was bleeding than mad that I was outside.

They had been fighting, even as they were talking to me. Orochimaru also had his sword out, and he was directing the snake to lunge forward so that he could slice at Jiraiya or Tsunade. I think Jiraiya had been the first (and only, as the same tricks don't work twice on Sanin) to suffer a wound from Orochimaru's sword in this battle, since the color of his wound was a deep, rusty brown. They'd been fighting for a while.

When he lunged forward at Tsunade, Jiraiya quickly made a Rasengan and thrust it towards Orochimaru. It burnt his arm, but before it could do any real damage, Orochimaru had pulled away. I don't really know what I wanted from him, nor do I know what I could possibly do in this fight.

_Why couldn't I be the one to destroy Orochimaru?_

A searing pain in my neck suddenly appeared, burning deep into my very consciousness. Either Orochimaru had activated it, or the unused power was beginning to burn into my chakra systems. I voted for the latter with the ardent fire coursed my veins, seeming to scorch my blood vessels.

Even as he fought, he laughed at me. "Oh, I knew it would happen soon. Dear, dear Sasuke, why haven't you used my little gift?"

I wanted to retort, but all I could do was sputter. This pain was more intense than actually_getting_ the curse seal. I don't ever remember feeling something like this in my life, and without my direction, the pain was turning into Orochimaru's damn power.

I was a puppet on a string for Orochimaru's enjoyment.

When the blistering feeling dissipated, it was replaced by black marks all across my body. I was transforming into the third stage of Orochimaru's power, the stage that I had only used once before, three years ago—the stage I was in when I fought Naruto. The second wave of pain was from the third stage, plus all of the repressed power I had been holding back in the past few months.

I had been warned about this—you had to use his power every week or so to keep the power from building up too much. I had never heard of the power getting to where it activated itself without the person's consent. I suppose I was the first that didn't use their power for two months.

When I finally found the strength to fight, I realized that Jiraiya and Tsunade were taking up Orochimaru's attention. To my relief, while Orochimaru was busy paying attention to me, Tsunade had made a quick healing job of Jiraiya's arm. However, due to the loss of blood for Jiraiya, and the loss of chakra for Tsunade, they were both running on empty.

A quick plan was formulated in my mind. I turned to Neji, who had stood there in concern over my part in this battle, and perhaps myself. "Can you do convincing genjutsu?" I asked. He nodded, which was a great relief. I gave him a quick synopsis of what I had been planning to do, and then I approached the battlefield.

"Sasuke, have you come to rejoin your master?" Orochimaru inquired me with a small smirk.

"Yes, I have, sensei," I muttered, as if I was in a trance. I bared a wild grin and turned it towards Jiraiya and Tsunade, and Neji's 'twin', who had joined the fight as well. My grin wasn't friendly at all—it was feral and wild, like that of a wild dog ready to rip someone's chest open.

"Oh?" he seemed amused. "Don't think I'm so ignorant. Why would I just suddenly welcome you back with open arms, when you tried killing me scarce twenty-four hours ago?"

"Because…" I paused, as if thinking. "I'll kill Neji Hyuuga for you," I added, as if I had just thought of it. I charged towards Neji's genjutsu. To his credit, he made every detail realistic. While I was 'fighting', I could tell that Neji's genjutsu was doing exactly what Neji would have done in a real fight.

In the end, I prevailed over the fake Neji. I was careful not to actually go through the genjutsu, but all of my attacks were so painstakingly staged that I was certain Orochimaru was thoroughly convinced. Neji's 'body' fell to the ground, and Neji even managed to add in a sound effect, for good measure. I turned to Orochimaru, another wild-looking grin on my face.

"Stand beside your master. Oh, and I have something for you…" he seemed to purr. I crossed the battlefield, glad that Jiraiya and Tsunade only glared at me as I walked by, their pride of ninja being too great to attack someone who isn't in a battle stance just yet.

When I was beside him, he leaned his head back and pulled out another sword. I remembered it clearly—it was _my_ sword, the one Orochimaru made especially for me. It was a stainless steel, a heavy sword fashioned to be lighter. It had magnificent speed, and could travel through the air faster than most people could run. The grip perfectly fit my hand, and the blade was of a very slight curve.

Orochimaru had modeled it for _me_, personally.

I did like the sword, but I only used it because it pleased Orochimaru. I enjoyed projectiles more.

Suddenly, the battle was going on again. I threw a few jutsu against Jiraiya and Tsunade, but I always made it to where they could dodge it. I never attacked with the intent to kill, but Orochimaru was currently preoccupied—Jiraiya was extremely angry about my betrayal, probably due to his own pupil. To Tsunade, I was dead.

Finally, instead of jutsu, I brandished my sword. I made a few slashes at the pair, but they weren't my true targets.

I was going to be the one to kill Orochimaru.

In the middle of a perfectly balanced slash at Tsunade, I turned my body and wrists quickly. I had aimed for his heart, but I missed—by a lot. I got the sword through his belly.

He looked down at the sword, chuckling to himself. "I figured you were playing with me…" He pulled the metal slowly out of himself, the sword covered in his blood. But it wasn't enough—I don't think I even actually pierced his stomach (the organ).

However, he hadn't planned on Jiraiya and Tsunade taking this moment to attack. I could never be sure, but it seemed to me that, in order to get a fairer fight, one wouldn't assault when their opponents' backs are turned at the level of a Sanin.

Orochimaru's eyes darted back to Jiraiya, only briefly, for he had the Rasengan plunged through his chest. Orochimaru fell limp, and his lifeless body fell to the ground with an audible, but somehow ominous, thump.

"AAAAAAAaaaargh!" I screamed out, my entire body feeling as if it were being ripped apart, atom-by-atom, molecule-by-molecule, all at one moment. There was a center of pain, my neck, and there I could feel burning, well, more like a sizzling.

When the sizzling in my neck dissipated, the rest of the pain seemed to fade out abruptly, as well. I couldn't think well, but I got shakily to my feet and slowly placed my hand on my neck.

I could feel the indention in my neck where the mark had been.

Orochimaru had branded me.

Once that realization passed through my mind, I felt myself drop to my knees, and then I didn't feel, or see, or hear, at all.

* * *

_"Hinata," my father approached me, a serious look placed upon his face. "I must apologize, for all your preparations were for naught, but the wedding will be early tomorrow. Shino Aburame is to go on a month-long mission tomorrow evening, and Shibi Aburame wants to go ahead and get the wedding over with. It will be short, and the only witnesses will be myself and Shibi."_

_The wedding wouldn't have happened for another week or two, and then, it would have been in front of my friends. My eyes welled slightly, but I blinked away any tears that might fall, and I replied, "Yes, father, I shall make myself ready for tomorrow."_

_"I'm proud of your strength."_

_Such wonderfully sweet words coming from my father, one of the kindest things he had ever said—but why did the words leave me feeling so empty inside?_

* * *

I awoke to Tsunade tending to me. There wasn't much she could do, as I could tell, but she was rubbing salve on my tattoo. It was no longer a seal. Just a tattoo that I received when I was younger and stupid. 

"Convincing act," she muttered. "Even Orochimaru halfway believed it. But…" she paused. "Don't think he left himself open accidentally."

_What?_

"Why would Orochimaru take the blow from the Rasengan?"

"I don't know. Maybe there's something we need to find out. The others have been searching through the libraries all day. There is some data that might interest you, by the way."

"Data?"

"Yes. _Pages_ of it. Orochimaru recorded everything he had, and brought all of the papers and files everywhere he went. I think they were his prized possession."

"Wow… I should help go through that…" I sat up, slowly, but Tsunade placed her hand on my chest to prevent me from going any further.

"Other than the data, there's something else you should know. Hinata's wedding was moved forward to tomorrow morning. Neji received the information just thirty minutes ago."

I stared at her for barely two seconds before jumping up, despite the protest of my body.

"I'm going home. I need to attend to something," I said before I bound away towards the forests of the Cloud.

_I sat, stoic, on the pillow in front of the mirror as the woman was used to be my nanny (back when I needed one) painted my face. She was constantly complimenting me, telling me how lucky I was to be married to someone like Shino—someone strong, someone depended, someone who was a true example of a good man and ninja._

_I knew he was all of that._

_But he was… All wrong for me._

_No matter what she told me about Shino (I knew him better than she did, anyways), I couldn't help but wish that, when I walked into the room, Sasuke would be the one sitting there, a smirk upon his face._

_But even when I arose and walked through the door, only three people were sitting there—my father, Shibi Aburame, and of course, Shino. I gave him a glance, one that I hoped conveyed my disdain at this wedding. For the first time that I had ever seen, Shino didn't have his glasses in place. His eyes were startling amber, piercing like a hawk's. The look I received in response was similar—he was being forced as well, and that was a relief._

_But, even so, nothing could change the fact that, soon, I'd be Shino's wife. And even if I loved Sasuke with all my heart, I could never betray that title._

Neji joined me just after I began making my way for Konoha. As we traveled, I decided to ask a few questions that really needed answering.

"How long does a wedding ceremony take?" Different clans had different rituals, and the rituals had different time variations. For instance, the Uchiha clan ceremony starts in the afternoon, and lasts until dusk. Afterwards, the newly married couple retires to their quarters and begins married life.

"It starts early in the morning, and it lasts about eight hours. There are a lot of things to go through, such as papers and oaths. Every oath must be signed in blood, and every paper must be signed by the bride, groom, bride's guardian, and groom's guardian."

I listened in silence. I was imagining the wedding, but I couldn't bring myself to imagine Shino, or even his father there. I somewhat fantasized as we traveled through the forest, daydreaming of me being in Shino's place right now.

Out of the blue (it might have been meant reassuringly), Neji made a strange comment. He said, "If it makes any difference, I can't imagine Hinata with someone as extremely stoic as Shino."

I smirked, attempting not to make it too obvious, and replied, "Neither can I."

* * *

_Thankfully, the legal papers had been first. I wanted to put off oaths and vows as long as I could, as legal papers were much easier to ignore morally. For some odd reason, I felt that if I signed an oath with my blood, I couldn't ever go against that vow. It was a strange moral obligation, but still, one that definitely existed._

_Also, there was a specific order in signing. All of the papers were signed by the groom's guardian, then the bride's guardian, then the groom, and lastly, the bride. Therefore, I'd be the last one to sign any of the oaths._

_The legal papers took about two hours, thirty minutes for each person. The vows would take much longer, as they were signed in blood, not ink. They would take between three and four hours, depending on how long each person took to sign._

_I was dreading it, and due to our long relationship, I could (somewhat) tell that Shino was in the same state of dread. He was reluctant to sign the vows, slowly signing them and reading through them as if he had never read any of them before. He never did anything that was so out of line that my father or his father commented, but it was still borderline rebellious._

_As the pile got smaller and smaller, so did my hopes._

* * *

"About how much longer do you think they have?" I asked Neji after another long stretch of silence. We were thirty minutes away from Konoha, and I was beginning to worry. Even traveling at a sprint the entire way, could we make it? 

"They definitely have started on the vows, but I don't think that they have completely finished with the ritual. We'll be cutting it close, if we make it."

"Reassuring," I automatically replied sarcastically. I knew my chances weren't high, but I was going to try as hard as I could.

Suddenly, Neji stopped, gasping for breath. I froze almost as soon as he did, and turned to him gasping for air, attempting to catch his breath.

"I don't have the stamina," he explained, before reaching into his pouch and holding out a little red pill. "It's the last one I have. Take it, and hurry. I'll never forgive you if Hinata becomes married to a man she doesn't love."

I took the pill from Neji gratefully, nodded firmly, and popped it into my mouth. Because of him, there was no way that I wouldn't make it.

* * *

_Shino placed the stack of papers in front of me, and I slowly gulped. I shakily raised my thumb to my mouth, ready to sign the papers. I bit into my thumb, just as the door burst open. _

At the door was Chemo, gasping and panting. "Do not sign that, Miss Hyuuga." He paused, as he probably had to run from the Hokage's office. "Hokage's orders—Sasuke Uchiha has just been spotted outside of the city walls, and he's headed this way. You are to wait until he arrives to sign anything else."

I nearly cried from happiness. But there was still two more obstacles—my father, and Shibi Aburame.


	10. Vipers Bite, Though Beheaded

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: Slight yaoi reference here. Don't like, don't read.  
**

God bless Chemo. God bless Naruto. And God bless the people at the gate who sent a message to Naruto that Neji and I had arrived back in Konoha. Naruto sent Chemo ahead to, at the very least, pause Hinata's wedding for me, before Hinata could sign any of her vows.

I arrived at the Hyuuga estate, and gratefully thanked Chemo. I'm not sure, as I was slightly delusional, but I think I hugged him. And maybe kissed his cheek… But that wasn't important.

I strode into the estate, and suddenly realized I had no clue what I was going to say. What could I say? 'Excuse me, Hyuuga-sama, but I want to interrupt your daughter's wedding with her betrothed in order to tell you that I love her, and the Aburame clan can forget conjoining with the Hyuuga clan?'

That'd go over real well. I'd be lucky if I survived.

But, my dear friend Neji had my back.

"Excuse the intrusion, Hiashi-sama, but I am afraid that we have some news. It is in Hinata-sama's best interests," Neji said, with a deep and flowing bow. I was certain that his nose grazed the ground.

I decided that copying his bow would be a good idea. I bent lowly in deference to the head of the Hyuuga clan, hoping that he wasn't too angered.

"This had better be_very_ important," Hiashi growled. At least he hadn't attempted homicide yet. Or perhaps he was waiting for a lack of witnesses.

"It is," I assured him. "I… Well, Hinata can't marry Shino. Because…"

"She can't? I do believe most of the papers are already signed… Other than the vows, Hinata and Shino are already legally bound. They certainly have the ability to be wed," Shibi Aburame interjected.

"No… No offense to you, Aburame-sama, but Shino isn't meant for Hinata," Neji interjected. He certainly knew how to handle clan officials.

"Yes, she is. And she has been since they were both five years old," Hiashi growled. "I see no reason why we shouldn't continue with the wedding."

I sighed, and finally, I decided talking to the two of them was a waste of time. They wouldn't let me have a word in edge-wise, and confessing my love to Hinata to them wouldn't help me much.

"Hinata… It's a little late, but… I think I…" I quickly glanced at everyone else. Shibi held a mask of indifference. Hiashi Hyuuga was glaring at me. Neji was giving me a look of impatience, as if he was watching a soap opera and there had been a commercial. Shino looked… relieved?

I finally continued. "I think I love you, Hinata. In fact, I'm positive."

There was silence.

"I—" Hinata began, but her father cut her off.

"That's very _sweet_, Uchiha, but we're in the middle of a wedding. No sordid affair is going to get in the way of my daughter marrying a traitor of Konoha," Hiashi definitely held deep contempt towards me.

"Father!" Hinata yelled. Hiashi snapped and glared at her.

"Hinata. I thought I raised you better. You do _not_ talk to the leader of your clan in such a manner."

"But, Father, I love him, too," Hinata stated firmly. "Shino… I've known Shino forever, but at most, he's a brother to me. I can't ever love him romantically. But Sasuke…"

"Sasuke isn't worthy. He is a missing-nin, no matter whether or not the Hokage accepts him. If the Hokage had been anyone else, there would be a bounty on Sasuke's head. He is trash compared to us, and we are above him, Hinata."

"He had his reasons. He needed to avenge his family. How is that below us?"

"Hinata, it is understandable that he would want to cleanse his clan's name, but in doing so, he betrayed the entirety of Konoha. Even I know that my clan comes after Konoha."

"How else was he supposed to avenge his family's name? He didn't have any choice. His brother was leaps and bounds ahead of him—Sasuke _had_ to borrow power, before Itachi was out of reach and did something horrible!"

"Stop, please," Shibi interjected the father-daughter argument. "I have never seen someone as genteel as Hinata act so insanely. She must really care for Sasuke, if she is willing to put everything on the line to defend his honor." He paused. "However, Hinata is young, as well as Shino is. Perhaps we should wait," Shibi offered.

"I apologize, but even in a few years, I will not care for Shino in that manner," Hinata spoke apologetically.

"I'm afraid a wedding cannot wait. According to Hyuuga tradition, the leader of the clan must be married at fifteen—for five years, they run the clan under the previous leader's supervision, and then they take it over themselves."

"Perhaps we can go against tradition, just this once?" Neji offered.

I felt very awkward at this point. It was as if they had forgotten that I was in the room with them as they argued over not only Hinata's fate, but mine as well.

"Go against tradition? Surely, Neji, you must be joking?" This question was the last full sentence I was able to completely comprehend.

"If I could interject—" Shibi Aburame.

"Look, Father, I know you don't understand—" Hinata.

"No, I'm not joking, I'm being serious—" Neji.

"I don't really want to marry Hinata, either—" Shino.

"Um, maybe I should leave—" What was Chemo still doing here?

"Enough," my voice spoke firmly. The glare on Hiashi Hyuuga's face was nearly as intense as his own Byakugan. The incredulous look everyone else's' face was priceless, but at the moment, I was humorless. I coughed lightly, trying to lessen a little bit of the tension. Of course, I didn't succeed. I began to speak. "Hyuuga-sama, I understand your position. You do not wish your daughter to be wed to a missing nin—but my actions have been in favor of Konoha. Killing Itachi Uchiha, and I even, just a few hours ago, killed Orochimaru of the Sound. I know that some of my past actions were mutinies against Konoha, but the current Hokage is not a fool. He wouldn't have accepted me back into his city if he had any doubts about me."

Hiashi looked at me long and hard. Finally, with a great heaving sigh, he looked from me and looked to Hinata. "Perhaps he wouldn't be a disgrace to the Hyuuga line. However, Hinata, this decision isn't ours to make." Hiashi looked from Hinata to Shibi Aburame. "I'm afraid that this contract was initiated nearly a decade ago. Whether or not this wedding continues lies firmly in the hands of the Aburame family."

Shibi Aburame seemed to consider this statement for a moment before talking. "Shino has been given many marriage proposals. There have been those from Suna, those from the Cloud, those from the Rain… All of whom are very good candidates. Possibly better than Hinata is, in the respect that their genes can't possibly interfere with the Aburame genes. I'll leave the decision in the hands of my son."

"Father, I never wanted to marry Hinata."

"Is that an insult to the Hyuuga name?" Neji hissed, flinging himself forward at Shino. I was shocked at this sudden show of violence coming from someone like Neji—he was _always_ calm, cool, and collected. But, suddenly, he was ready to fight Shino. Either he was going through a time of emotional turmoil, or he was extraordinarily protective of the Hyuuga name. I hoped it was the second.

Shino sighed, completely ignoring the obvious tone of threat in Neji's voice. "I mean no disrespect to your clan, one of the greatest of Konoha," he paused. "This wasn't quite how I wanted to say it, but I've never been interested in girls."

"You're gay?" the shock in Shibi's voice was evident. I glanced at Hinata, but she didn't seem the least bit surprised or disturbed, in any way. Perhaps she always knew, or perhaps he had told her. I'd be willing to believe either.

"I suppose that does explain why you've never seemed interested in dating any of the women that have been offered to you…" Shibi wasn't annoyed that his son was gay—to his credit, he seemed as if he was simply contemplating how he could make his son's sexuality work out for the good of their clan. "We'll discuss it later, in more private quarters. For now," Shibi Aburame turned to Hiashi Hyuuga, "It appears that we'll have to terminate the marriage, now doesn't it?"

"It appears so."

I scooped Hinata up in my arms, kissing her full on the lips. I stared into her bleary eyes, somewhat surprised that she was on the verge of tears. "Something wrong?"

"I… No. Nothing's wrong," she smiled softly at me. She pecked lightly at my lips, before backing away from me. "Everything is right."

----

And with that, life continued on as normal. Hinata and I were dating, and thankfully, Hiashi Hyuuga hadn't made me marry Hinata right then and there. I would rather not rush her, thank you. Neji and Tenten married each other, and when they returned from their two-week honeymoon, Tenten begrudgingly admitted to her closest friends that Neji was more fertile than average, and she was already pregnant due to a mistake that occurred just before the wedding.

Naruto and Sakura set a date for their wedding, and Naruto was making it a holiday for everyone—it was going to be conducted _on_ the Hokage façade, right above his own statue (slightly egotistical, but no one else seemed to think so).

I was living a normal ninja life. I was going on missions, and I was becoming a bigger part of the ANBU. Currently, I'm up for nomination for becoming a squad leader—a huge step on the way to becoming the head of the ANBU itself, which was a great responsibility and honor.

However, aside from dating Hinata, doing missions, and working towards becoming a leader in the ANBU, another thing was weighing heavily on my mind. I still needed answers to some fundamental questions from Orochimaru. Questions such as: Why did he seem to know _everything_ that happened to Kabuto, or to me, as a matter of fact? Why did he seem to just… _give up_ in the last battle? What was all the research on, aside from thousands of jutsu?

But the main question was: Had we really gotten rid of Orochimaru, or was that just an assumption?

You could never be sure, especially not with a ninja like Orochimaru. I would feel thousands of times more secure in the fact that he was dead if I had been _present_ at the time of his burial, burning, or whatever they did with his body.

As I perused the seemingly ancient text, I found very little of use to him. There were thousands upon thousands of jutsu, but nothing about scientific research, or anything out of the ordinary. However, halfway through the work, I noticed a line that seemed very oddly out of place.

_Vipers bite, though they have long ago lost their heads._

Dumb folded, I pondered the line for a few minutes.

Did this mean that Orochimaru wasn't dead?

----

"Jiraiya, I need to talk to you," I greeted him hurriedly, and without much deference. He seemed to appreciate the fact that I was obviously in a rush, due to the gravity of the subject. "How… how did you dispose of Orochimaru's body?"

Jiraiya stiffened, and I could tell that he was thinking I was insulting his intelligence. "We beheaded him, and buried the head away from the body."

"Shit," I cursed. Of course—that was a standard manner of disposing of bodies, at least when one was dealing with more experienced ninja. Some ninja had the ability to regenerate him or herself, even from death, to full capacity—Tsunade, no doubt, was one such person.

I had hoped that, for some reason, Jiraiya had cremated Orochimaru instead of burial. But I had no such luck.

"I… I think he's coming back for me. I don't know when, but he's coming back," I growled out, certain that I was right.

----

Later that night, I allowed myself a rare moment of weakness. I was feeling exhausted—mentally, physically, and emotionally. We were in Hinata's part of the estate, somewhat like her own apartment. It was very lovely and comforting to come home to—and, though I didn't_live_ there, I considered it home. We were lying on Hinata's couch, and my head was lying on Hinata's lap. As I relayed my account of the day and my research, she stroked my hair gently and consolingly. She paused at the parts that disturbed her, asked a few questions, and then continued.

"It's getting late," she pointed out, sometime around midnight.

"I don't want to go…" I was tired, and being spoiled by Hinata was by no means motivating me to leave. She sighed, obviously (if only slightly) annoyed at my whining.

"Sasuke, it wouldn't be proper for you to spend the night…" she protested.

"I'll sleep on the couch," I offered. Just being around Hinata was a relief, like she was a drug. When she was accessible, I was at ease and able to _relax_. Away from her, I constantly felt broken apart, like I needed something. Her.

She let out a breath. I hoped that she felt the same way that I did. "What about clothes?" she asked. Her arguments were getting weaker!

"I'll go to my place before work tomorrow, change and shower there," I suggested. I continued praying that Hinata would say 'yes, you can spend the night'.

But it wasn't meant to be.

"Oh, wait. I forgot entirely. I have a Hyuuga clan meeting to go to early in the morning. Father is coming to pick me up—I'd rather not explain why you spent the night in my apartment, which he is so lovingly providing and paying for," the last part she mumbled sarcastically. I snickered, reveling in the fact that I was the only one she said such things around—with everyone else, there was this constant 'proper-ness'. And though I loved that about her, I also loved the 'normal' part of her—the part of her that let down her guard.

As for the reason for the sarcastic tone of speaking, her father only gave her the apartment to keep her from moving away from the Hyuuga estate. At least here, he has some authority over her and what she does. He'd be lost if she moved into an apartment complex, as opposed to having her own place on the Hyuuga land.

"Well, fine…" I mumbled. I sat up and turned to Hinata. "I'll leave, then. I…" I paused. I had been planning on saying it for a long time, but for some odd reason, I had never been able to.

'_Coward,'_ I cursed myself, before continuing. "I'll see you tomorrow," I finished lamely before grabbing my bag and stalking out of the apartment.

I had said it before. Why was I having problems saying it again? The first time, I suppose, I had said it out of desperation. However, saying, "I love you" so casually seemed… wrong. It was like she deserved to hear "I love you" dramatically every time it was said.

"Idiot," I spat the word, like it was acid coming out of my mouth. One of these days…

----

I rolled over in my bed, awaking to warm sunlight pouring into my room and on my half-naked body. I blinked slowly, coming conscious as reluctantly as was possible. I rubbed groggily at my eyes, before I realized something that motivated me quickly: I was horribly late for work. I jumped out of the bed, flying across my room. I froze, however, when I saw the note pinned to my bedroom door.

_I'm glad you read the line in my notes. I won't have to repeat myself._

_Let's just say that this viper has finally struck, and he's taken the princess of the Hyuuga._

_She'll make a lovely substitute for you body, won't she? Lovely chakra precision, and she also has a bloodline limit! If it wasn't for the fact that she was female, she'd be a better candidate than you!_

_But, relax, dear Sasuke, for I will always covet your body above anyone else's'._

_So, bring yourself to my current lair, alone, and I promise you, I will release your lovely—girlfriend, is it? Congratulations, by the way…—in exchange for yourself._

_Signed,_

_The Beheaded Viper_

Just as the meaning of the letter was sinking in, a loud pounding erupted at my door. "UCHIHA! OPEN UP!" I knew it to be the sound of Hyuuga Hiashi, and currently, he didn't seem very happy with me.

**A/N (x2): Drama, drama, drama... Yes, I know, a lot happens all at once, but still. Well, next chapter will have a lot of Hinata's POV.**

And I bet you all were thinking that this was around the ending, when you read the mini-synopsis I wrote, huh? Nope! I considered it, but there were still a few holes in regards to Orochimaru. Oh, and at this point, let's say they've been together about a month. Kay? Well, thanks for reviewing, everyone, I really appreciate it! Keep 'em coming!


	11. Certain Death

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: Mmkay, I think I worked out all of the kinks. Or at least, I hope I did. Well, as it stands now, Neji and Tenten are about to get married, and Kiba is going out with an OC, a tomboy named Chiyo. I had to replace content in about four or five different chapters, but everything I just said basically covers it, so don't worry about it. I'm also going with the italics means Hinata's POV, and the dashes still mean scene change. And, with that, here's chapter 11!**

_Huge hands covered my mouth as I tried screaming. I twisted, turned, and fought my way out of the first man's grip. I had inhaled a little bit of chloroform, and that restricted my movements, and made my mind foggy. Even in such a state, I formed chakra to fight. I attempted to charge one of the men, but he easily dodged and blocked my movements, as if I was a simple Genin._

_Finally, he grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm so that it was behind my back. I struggled, but I just couldn't remember how to turn myself so that I didn't hurt my arm and I was facing him. My mind clouded over, and I only saw darkness…_

----

I thought about sneaking out of the window, rushing off to the Sound, and completely ignoring Hiashi. After all, the letter had said to come alone—if I brought anyone, there was no doubt in my mind that Orochimaru would not hesitate to kill Hinata, due to my impertinence. And if I talked to Hiashi, and explained the situation to him, it would take a lot of reasoning to convince him that he couldn't come.

Even with all of the evidence piled up, I knew I couldn't leave Hiashi here in Konoha without any clue what was going on. At least that way, Naruto would know that I hadn't died a traitor to Konoha. I had simply traded my life for Hinata's—something I would do without hesitation.

So, I trudged to my front door, not looking forward to Hiashi's anger. When the door swung open, I realized just how distraught Hiashi was. He had probably been searching for Hinata ever since he woke up. Neji was with him as well, looking even more worse for the wear.

"Where is my daughter? I'll have you know, if you did _anything_ to her out of wedlock, I will _kill_ you," his glare sent chills down my spine. Obviously, his opinion of me still wasn't very high—despite the fact that I'd been dating his daughter for a month already, and have shown no signs of wishing to leave her. Then again, one month was nowhere near a lifetime, and that's probably what it would take to gain Hiashi's trust.

"Sir, I can't stay to explain," I paused, thrusted the note at his chest, and with great ninja speed, I sprinted off to the 'great' land of the Sound, rushing off to what I knew would probably be my demise.

----

_I slowly awoke in a dark dungeon. I was hanging against a wall, handcuffed so high that my head touched the ceiling. My legs were shackled about four feet from the ground, and every metal band was solid and well made. Thankfully, no matter which way I struggled, they didn't cut into my wrists or ankles at all. In fact, the only way they could be more comfortable is if they were fur-lined._

_I could only imagine what atrocities this person had conducted here. Murdering, torturing, starvation, rap— Well, I'd rather not think of the last one. _

_Clank. Shiff. Shiff. Shiff. Shiff._

_Footsteps. _

"_Ah, I see our esteemed guest has awakened. I'm Shiniji." a smirk played on his face._

_I have amazing aim, thanks to Tenten. Therefore, the gob of spit I had worked up landed right above his right eye. Then again, I had been aiming slightly lower._

_A groan of disgust sounded as he wiped the spittle off, a scowl replacing the smirk that had once been there. I couldn't help but smirk—either way, he was going to make things rough for me. There was no way I was going to come along docilely._

"_Anyways," he bit out, "my master will be coming later on to inform you of your situation. I was going to give you a hint who he is, but I'm not going to do even that much. Ch," the 'ch' sounded like it did when Sasuke was little—always spoken like it was a curse word, or spoken with a tone of complete indifference._

_I tried working up another gob, but he left too quickly, so in the end, I had to swallow it down. Perhaps I could land it on his master…_

----

It wasn't long before I was joined by Hyuuga Hiashi, as we raced through the forest. "The note said for me not to bring anyone," I muttered.

"Are you _stupid_?" he growled out, glaring at me. The words forced me to stop, as I knew we wouldn't be able to have an argument will dashing.

"What are you talking about?" the glare I returned was just as fierce, or at least, so I hoped. I really wish I could have inflicted the intimidation he inflicted upon me, and everyone else…

"You _never_ go alone to save someone, especially not someone as important as Hinata. Do you think he'll honestly release her, based solely on the merit of his word? What proof will we have?" he paused, and gave a hard look forward. "I've sent Neji out to inform the Hokage. Soon, we'll have even more reinforcements. We are heading to the actual location of the Sound, correct?"

"You sent for_Naruto_?" I don't know exactly why I was upset at this fact. Perhaps it was due to the fact I didn't want Naruto to know that, soon, I'd be gone. Perhaps I didn't want him getting hurt. Or maybe I felt like it was something I had to do on my own. But then again, there had been a lot of times like that, and they haven't worked out that way for a long time.

Maybe it was all three reasons.

Hiashi heaved a huge sigh and, instead of commenting on my response, he replied, "That doesn't answer my question."

"Yes, we're going to the Sound," I mumbled the response. I could only hope that by some freak accident, due to the speed Hiashi was traveling, a falling acorn dropped by a squirrel would impale him and I could go to the Sound without anything to worry about but the reinforcements.

No such luck, however. Squirrels never do want to cooperate with me…

----

_It felt like hours I was hanging suspended in that dungeon. I activated the Byakugan, and attempted to see outside of my cell, but no one was around, and nothing of interest or importance was around. I suppose they put me in a cell far away from everyone else, for the simple reason that that way, I couldn't see anyone using my bloodline limit._

_The people who had me were well-informed, or they knew enough about the Konoha bloodline limits to know that someone with milky white eyes was a Hyuuga, and therefore had the Byakugan._

_The bastards._

_Torture is one thing.  
_

_Leaving a ninja, who is naturally paranoid, in the dark about where they are is anguish._

----

We dashed through the forest. I kept cursing myself, mainly for my inability to tell Hinata the words that rage within my mind all day, every day. Why can't I say it out loud? I already knew the answer, after nights of meditation—it's because I'm afraid that I can't protect Hinata. I was afraid that, mostly, I wouldn't be able to protect her from myself…

And now I knew that I couldn't even protect her from _other_ people.

I could only hope that Orochimaru was true to his word, and Hinata didn't give him a reason to kill her.

----

_The door creaked open. Before that moment, I am ashamed to report that my head was hung downwards and tears had been pouring from my eyes. However, now that I knew someone was coming, I positioned my face in such a manner that I knew Father would be proud of me. Chin raised, mouth set firm, and eyes slightly lidded._

_It wasn't Shiniji._

"_Hello, Hinata-chan," Orochimaru purred. No. Such a person could never purr. He reminded me more of a rattlesnake, which was positioning himself to attack its prey._

"_Orochimaru," I growled out. Now that I thought back, I did recall one of the ninja that captured me was in possession of a sound headband. _

"_Now, now, is that any way to treat your host?" he attempted his twisted version of a purr once more. I so wished I had just one hand free, and having my kunai pouch full of sharp, pointy objects would be oh-so-helpful, too…_

"_My host isn't a gracious one. He gave me the worst room in the mansion," I quipped, proud of my control. I saw an involuntary twitch cross his face, as if he was suddenly very annoyed. Perfect._

"_Ahh, but the guest isn't grateful. After all, a host could very well…" he paused, and suddenly, a knife was at my throat. I knew none of his limbs had moved—it was his tongue holding the jagged dagger. It was pressed so hard against my throat that my breath was cut off—my windpipe was closed. I gasped, knowing that I wouldn't be able to control such embarrassing movements. "Be quite rude," he added as an afterthought. I could see the disgusting, self-satisfied smirk on his face, which was plain even though his mouth was open wide to let his putrid tongue out._

"_B-bastard…" the stammer was due to lack of air. He pulled back slightly, as if interested in what I had to say. "You should know damn well a ninja would rather die than hang in shackles uselessly, waiting to be bartered off or tortured or… whatever the hell you want."_

"_Ahh, my dear Hinata-chan, you take too many liberties. You see, I don't consider you a ninja. You're a doctor, perhaps, but no ninja. You…" he chuckled, "I saw you in the Chuunin exams. What a pitiful display that was… My, but your—brother? Or was it cousin?—was quite tasty-looking. I do hope Sasuke-kun decided to bring him with, he'd be a delicious addition to Sasuke-kun himself…"_

_I thrust myself against the chains, trying my best to get as close to Orochimaru as I could. The dagger was still raised, and it nicked me on the cheek, but I ignored the slight twinge of pain (after all, I'd had worse injuries on D-ranked missions). "Leave them both alone!" I screamed._

_He shook his head. "My, my… Certainly not as collected as Neji, are we? Or Sasuke… This is why I never pick girls. Males are so much easier to deal with. Though they are less loyal, I suppose…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, as if it was a topic of conversation that had perturbed him for quite a while. "Oh, but I have been looking at your younger sister, Hanabi. She holds much more promise than either you or Neji do… Even as a female, she's quite controlled… She'd be a good candidate for the Sound Five, or an even higher position, if I could convince her to do it for the power."_

_He was too far away, and I knew that doing so would take up a good amount of chakra. However, I lifted my palm and shot a beam of pure chakra at him. It was a small beam, and it wasn't highly concentrated—however, it was aimed right for his temple, and if I could get even a small beam of chakra through his brain, he'd die._

_No such luck, apparently. He noticed what I was doing, and as a preemptive move, he jumped backwards a few feet. He was now against the far wall, much too far for my measly chakra stores to reach._

"_Ahh, Shiniji warned me about something like that… Seems I'll have to use the last of Kabuto's little presents…" He held up a small globe. With a sigh, as if he regretted having to use it on me, he tossed it. It hit the wall beside me, and a green gas soon filled the air around me. By the time it permeated throughout the entire room, Orochimaru had already left. The gas entered into my mouth and nostrils, despite my attempts to avoid inhaling it (even though I knew it was futile). As my world went fuzzy, I wished death upon the mysterious, evil Snake Sanin._

----

Hours passed. My thoughts hadn't changed at all, and I was still wishing myself bloody torture and then, eventually, a painful death that resulted in an eternity in the lowest levels of hell, where I was sure to go through similar torture. Then, maybe, I could forgive myself for being such an idiot.

Hiashi said nothing else to me during the time we traveled, except to offer me soldier pills to keep my strength up. Maybe I should start carrying those things, since I've been doing a lot traveling between Konoha and Sound, or Sound's hideouts.

"We're nearing Sound's perimeter. Orochimaru should be in a large building to the center of the village," I mumbled to Hiashi. He nodded firmly, eyes set forward. He was, apparently, very determined to get his daughter back. I knew that he'd have no qualms about using me as a bargaining chip—but, then again, that's what I _wanted_ to be, so I couldn't exactly hold that against him.

We finally arrived at the 'headquarters' of the Sound. When someone thought of Orochimaru, this was the first place most thought of. This was his most-used hideout—well, actually, this wasn't a hideout—it was where he wasn't in hiding, when he wanted to be found. Everyone knew of this location, but we could never catch him here, as he was usually at a hideout.

He wouldn't be hiding now.

----

"Stay here," I growled at Hiashi.

"What the hell do you mean, 'stay here?'" Hiashi spat out, a dangerous, feral look in his eyes. Even if he let Hinata and I be _together_, he still loathed me with a passion.

"Orochimaru will_kill_ her if he catches you. I'm going inside the front way—if you can get inside, you'll have to find a different way than the front. You'll have to come in through the ceiling, or through the back, or underground or something, _if_ you can get inside. If," I repeated for clarification.

"Oh, I'll get in. You can count on it," the determination that laced Hiashi's words almost scared me. I hoped that I was never on the opposite end of an attack that Hiashi initiated—I wasn't sure that I could beat such determination.

Why had I ever thought that people in Konoha were weak?

With a huff, he turned and left me standing alone in front of the huge mansion. I looked up at its vastness, silently taking in what I had to do. I was nearing my final hour—that's about how long the ritual to 'lose your consciousness and forfeit your body' took to be complete. With a deep inhalation, I placed my hand on the front of the door. I channeled a bit of my chakra signature into the wood of the door. The door swung open in response to my genetic 'key', and I crossed the threshold.

"Glad you showed," Shiniji greeted me with a wink. "Orochimaru was talking about using me instead. I'd much rather live…" He paused, and then his tone switched from joking to becoming serious. I always had had a theory that Shiniji had split personalities. "Did you bring anybody?"

"No."

----

"_Sasuke-kun has arrived," Orochimaru muttered to himself. I had been conscious for maybe thirty minutes since Orochimaru had used the knockout gas on me. When I awoke, I gave no indication that I was conscious. He glanced over at me—somehow, I could feel his gaze on me, as if it was burrowing holes into my soul—and then left the room._

'Sasuke… Please, don't give yourself up for me…'_ I couldn't help but praying silently, though I knew it was futile._

----

"Ahh, Sasuke-kun, it's nice to see that you've arrived," Orochimaru greeted me.

"How the hell did you come back?" I bit out, glaring intensely at his serpent-like countenance.

"Simple mysteries that will never be solved. Well, Sasuke, come this way, and I'll allow you a final goodbye to your darling Hinata Hyuuga," he offered.

I kept the glare on my face, but I followed him, anyways. We walked down a corridor of dank stone. About halfway down the corridors, the walls changed from wood to stone, and then to simple bars. I could tell all of the rooms were empty, so he must have decided Hinata needed to be put at the back of the mansion. Near the end of the hallway, he finally paused to open the jail cell. Inside, Hinata's limp body hung.

"She's alive, but she's not awake yet. I had to use knockout gas on her—some of Kabuto's special blend," Orochimaru explained. Yes, it wasn't likely that she'd be awake now—the knockout gas was very strong. And then, I noticed something that Orochimaru couldn't possibly see in the dim light, with his poor eyes. Hinata's hand had twitched. Had Hinata done that on purpose?

"May I embrace her?" I pleaded. I allowed some falsified weakness into my voice, something that I knew would make it unlikely for Orochimaru to reject my request.

"Certainly. A last embrace before death—romantic."

I moved towards Hinata, and hugged her around her torso. I placed my head on her shoulder, and like we had done so many times before, I burrowed my head deep into the recesses of her hair. Quickly and quietly, I muttered into her ear, "Kill me. During the ritual."

I backed away, a tear streaming down my cheek. "I… love you," I told her 'unconscious' body. I turned to Orochimaru, making my face into a mask of strength and calmness. "How will I know that you've released her?"

"We'll hold the ritual outside. Before we start, you may watch her leave you."

Just like Orochimaru to wish my last vision to be my lover running away and leaving me behind to certain death.

"Very well."


	12. Ritualistic Death

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: Well, soon, this story will be drawing to a close. In fact, this is the second-to-last chapter! The next chapter will be an epilogue, and I'm not even sure if it will be as long as a full-length chapter, which is about 3000 words. However, I'll do my best to make sure you all get the ending you deserve. A lot of the questions will be answered in the epilogue (sorry, only place I could think to put it), so don't fret about that. This has been my most successful story so far, mostly because this one will actually get completed. I really do appreciate all of the reviews you guys have written me, and I'm glad you enjoyed my story so much. Onto the last (kind of) chapter of Never Meant To Win!**

It didn't take long for Hinata to 'wake up'. She blinked slowly at first, then quickly, and her movements were drowsy enough to make Orochimaru believe that she had been sleeping the entire time. It took her about thirty seconds to 'clear her head' and realize I was there, but when she did, she gave the expected reaction—shock.

"Sasuke!"

"Hinata." I greeted, trying to keep to keep it formal. Really, I wanted to put on a show about making her want to leave me behind—for dead. "We are about to perform the ritual. You'll be released just before it occurs, and I expect you to go to Konoha. By the time you arrive there, and are able to make it back with reinforcements, Orochimaru and the rest of the Sound will be gone."

"But, Sasuke—"

"Hinata. It was nice knowing you, but I'm afraid that it has come to an end. Perhaps you'll make someone else happy, someday. Make sure he deserves you," I turned away from her, and turned towards Orochimaru. I was actually nervous now—I was beginning to doubt that Hinata had feigned sleep earlier, and I was worried that my plan wouldn't work out as I had hoped it to. What would happen if Hinata were stopped? What if she couldn't get to my body before Orochimaru's conscious took it over? What if Orochimaru didn't keep to his promise, and somehow withheld Hinata?

However, with as many flaws as there were in my last-minute plan, I knew I'd have to go on with it. I had nothing else to go on, and this was my only shot—my last chance at redemption.

----

The marking took a long time. Shiniji had to draw specific circles, and if an area wasn't done to Orochimaru's liking, Shiniji had to redo that entire area (which only happened twice, by my count). Orochimaru had Hinata and I in shackles, standing side-by-side. If we even looked at each other, a jolt of chakra was sent through the metal braces. He thought it was rather nice of himself to wait until the last minute for us to have our touching goodbye, but I knew there were more sinister thoughts behind the sentiment.

Our goodbye wasn't romantic, nor was it reassuring. Orochimaru didn't let us get within two feet of each other, and we had to keep it short. Basically, we told the other that we loved them, and listened to Orochimaru scoffing at our admissions of love. Finally, Hinata gave me one hard, long look and dashed off into the forest.

"See, Sasuke? That's the world. No heroics, no love conquers all—just run, save your own hide, even if it means sacrificing the ones you love," Orochimaru commented dryly, as if commenting on a sappy comedy-romance.

"I know. But love is a comfort—up until the goodbye, I suppose," I muttered back, acting like the cynical and pessimistic little bastard I used to be. I still felt like I was a little bastard—guilt does that to you—but I wasn't cynical anymore, and I was more optimistic (but still within normal regions of optimism for a ninja).

I liked to think that that was due to the fact I learned what it was like to love and be loved, all at once.

I followed all of the instructions given to me. First I laid my body out in the middle of the circle, stretching my limbs out to each corner of the square marking inside of the circle. I allowed myself to be shackled to the ground, and didn't protest when Shiniji took my shirt off. Then, Shiniji began marking my body using a permanent marker, going much more slowly now than we he did in making the other markings.

"It's time," Shiniji said, standing back from my body, admiring his work. Orochimaru smirked at me, and chuckled to himself.

"A booby prize in comparison to the great Itachi Uchiha, but a wonderful booby prize it is. Younger." Orochimaru leaned forward, placing his hands on each half of my chest, on either side of my heart. I felt a strange tingling sensation, and then burning pain, as Orochimaru not only channeled his chakra into me, but his very consciousness. And then, I felt a much sharper pain in my chest. Before my world faded to black, I saw a flash of blue, like lightening, and splashes of red…

Hinata had done her job.

----

_I waited in the forest, feeling extremely nervous and worried. What if things went wrong? What if, when I killed Sasuke, I couldn't bring him back? How could I bring myself to actually killing my boyfriend, one of the people whom was extremely close to me? _

_I knew the answer to the last question. It wasn't a detailed answer, or a very consoling one, but it was this: I had to._

_I waited for the perfect time. Orochimaru was absorbed in his current project, and Shiniji wasn't a ninja—he was only a medical student, at least in my opinion. Why had Orochimaru replaced Kabuto with him, anyways? I inched closer as my time of action drew closer. I activated my chakra, as I didn't have any kunai or shuriken, and placed nearly all of my concentration on keeping the blade of chakra alive (I got the idea from Kabuto, but for a medical ninja, such a feat is exceedingly simple). _

_When Orochimaru's body became was starting limp, and Sasuke was struggling against the chains, I chose to make my move. I rushed forward with ninja speed, first slicing Shiniji's throat open, and then stabbing Sasuke in the throat. While I was doing it, my mind was more on controlling the chakra, and not so much on the fact that I was essentially killing my lover. In his last moment, Sasuke looked at me and hissed—or rather, that was Orochimaru. When had Sasuke's conscious faded away?_

_At any rate, I waited for the body to fully die. Orochimaru hadn't fully taken control, and even in a dead body, only one consciousness could reign. _

_Quickly, I began forming medical chakra to seal up the hole in Sasuke's lung, and then I used it to close the gaping chest cavity. All such things were done messily—I had to hurry and begin CPR, along with stimulating the body with my chakra. I was frantic, hurrying to bring him back, hoping all the while that he wouldn't be Orochimaru, but Sasuke._

----

"Ahh, how sweet of Hinata, she's bringing us back," a voice hissed. I was keeping my hold on my body as strongly as I could—I couldn't feel, see, taste or smell, but at least between Orochimaru and myself, I could hear and speak.

"She's bringing me back, you mean," I growled out, and with a sudden lunge (if a consciousness can describe physical movement), I pushed at his consciousness, trying to force it out of my body. Orochimaru is a better fighter than me, but only in body—not spirit. He attempted to fight back, but he definitely didn't know what he was doing. I didn't, either—I felt it, but I could never know if what I was doing was right.

I felt a warm light beginning to pulsate around us—Hinata was succeeding in bringing me back. However, I needed to deal with Orochimaru before I could see Hinata again. With all my mental strength, I pushed at Orochimaru. I kept pushing, and fighting, and he continued struggling, until my consciousness just—stopped fighting him. The sudden disappearance almost felt like it did when you were pushing against a surface that was suddenly moved away.

I could come back to my Hinata, my beautiful angel, now.

----

I blinked slowly. The last thing that was clear in my mind was the vivid red and electric blue—between then and now, I was certain that there was a struggle, but I couldn't remember precisely what had transpired while my body was dead, but my consciousness was alive.

I felt searing pain in my chest. Hinata's job hadn't been completely professional—how could it be neat, after all, when she knew that every millisecond counted? I wasn't sure how long a consciousness stayed in a body, nor where it went when there wasn't a body left, but I knew that Hinata had barely made it.

When my senses returned to me, I could hear sobbing. "Sasuke… Oh, Sasuke…"

"Hina…" I couldn't find the strength to finish her name. Her head shot up from my chest. I offered her the weakest of half-smiles, more of a twitch than anything.

"We need to get him proper help," Hiashi's stern voice sounded, ruining the sweet reunion between Hinata and myself. "Neji's reinforcements are working on the members of Sound. We've gotten rid of a good deal of them. Another team is searching the mansion—we've already found a chart of hiding places, and we're planning on making a suggestion to the Hokage to search each one of them…"

"I'll fix everything. But I need anesthetics. Are there any well-prepared ninja with full medical equipment?" Hinata's voice was surprisingly strong, professional, as if I were just another patient—one whom she wanted to help, but still, not someone she knew personally.

"Sakura knew we'd need some of the sort. She sent along supplies with a few ninja, and they left a kit with me. I have it here…"

At this point, I'm not sure I needed the anesthesia. I fell back into unconsciousness, my sight fading before my hearing did. The last thing I heard was, "Good job, Uchiha," in the grunt voice of Hiashi Hyuuga.

----

I had an immense feeling of deja-vu when I awoke in the hospital. Sunlight was streaming in through the window, making the room impossibly bright. Once again, I could feel my corneas melting through my eye sockets. When I arose, however, I did _not_ assume the person currently taking up space in my room was an angel—even a drugged-up, halfway dead individual couldn't confuse Naruto for an angel.

"Sasuke?" he asked gently, a tone of voice I had never heard him use. Even when I almost died in the Cloud, the tone of voice had been more frantic—panicked. Now, it was a questioning, almost unbelieving sound.

"Water?" I croaked out slowly. Naruto stared hard at my face for a moment, before laughing off his worry.

"Sorry, doctor's orders—your left lung got nicked when Hinata had to stab you. You can only have water through the plastic-bag-thing."

"Great," I looked down at my limbs, and my bare chest. Tubes, wires, plastic devices, armbands—anything they could have put on me, they did. It's a wonder people _survived_ hundreds of years ago, before technology.

"We found some interesting information. I'm making a specific organization of ninja, just for the Sound crisis. Hiashi pointed out a few things we'll need to do—research, searching, Sound ninja eradication—and I want you to be the head of the organization. That means that you won't leave Konoha, at least for five years while we clean up this mess. You'll be staying here, researching and organizing everyone. All the missions you've been going on lately have been _way_ too dangerous for my or Hinata's liking," Naruto smirked. "How are you feeling?"

"Great. Better than ever," I attempted to lift my hand to show him, but all that resulted from the 'movement' was a twitch in my foot. How on earth did nerves connect that way, anyways?

"You'll be out for a while," Naruto admitted. "Hell, you're in horrible condition. After Hinata's quick fix, they had to open you up _again_ to actually fix everything. They had to do a ton of weird shit to your heart—I couldn't even explain it all. Basically, you have a robotic heart now, I think. Which won't change anything," he smirked at the double meaning, "But you should heal in a few months, but fully healing will take years. Another good reason to keep you here." Naruto paused, as if thinking. "Oh, and there is one more thing—Hinata said that she can remove the 'tattoo', if you wish."

"What?" I could hardly bring forth the strength to speak, so nearly all of my replies were monosyllabic.

"Apparently, we can graft skin from another part of your body—probably your butt," he giggled, "And replace the skin that is marked with Orochimaru's seal."

"No," I couldn't explain to him at the moment, for the explanation would take far too long, and even if I _could_, he wouldn't understand my reasoning. The mark was a symbol of my guilt, a reminder that there had been a time where I had lost faith in my comrades, my country, and myself. I now understood the importance of having friends to back you up (Hiashi taught me that); I knew what made Konoha so important (something Naruto passed to me); and I knew that, though I wasn't perfect, I was still a worthwhile person, and I shouldn't give myself up just because what to do next isn't clear (taught to me by the only perfect person in the world, Hinata).

"It's the drugs. It has to be the drugs," Naruto's hand was on his forehead, as if he couldn't believe the audacity of my opposition. "I'll ask you when you're sober. Besides, your nurse is here," he smirked, enjoying his own private joke. He stood and glided out of the room. I couldn't turn my head, but I knew who my nurse _had_ to be—Hinata.

"Sasuke!" I heard her cry out, and I could hear the patter of her soft work shoes against the tile of the hospital room. She stopped at the bed, obviously deciding against whatever she was going to do to me. Instead, she gently stroked my hand as she checked my stats, a combination of affectionate and professional.

"Your heart rate is going well, even after the surgery…" she noted. "Everything is normal for someone of your status," she smiled gently down at me.

"How long was I… out?" I asked slowly.

"Oh, I'd say about two days. Mostly because of heavy doses of drugs. But that's a good thing—your surgery lasted about ten hours." She frowned, and continued, "They wouldn't let me assist, since you're my significant other. Family and close friends aren't allowed in the OR, as they might interfere."

"I doubt you'd interfere—you're very professional," I commented. "I like that."

"You want some water? It has to be given very sparingly—we gave actually give you large quantities of water until we take the stitches out of your lung. Even a little bit of excess water in your lungs could kill you," she explained. Once again, I was being spooned ice chips.

When she finished, I looked her in the eyes and told her, "I love you."

----

Sasuke fell asleep soon after I came, already tired from all of the excitement of seeing Naruto and myself. When I walked out of the room, a younger nurse came rushing up to me. I think her name was something like Tsusuki, but I couldn't be sure. I knew her to be frantic.

"_You have a message in the front office from your father. Hurry, it was received nearly thirty minutes ago, but I didn't want to interrupt you and Sasuke…" She was starting to ramble, so I cut her off by thanking her, and hurriedly walked down the hospital corridor._

_The message turned out to be a summons from my Father, to come to see him as soon as possible. I had no idea what we needed to talk about—all of the personal problems he had with Sasuke were resolved during the last mission, and my Father had gained a newfound respect for Sasuke. I was happy my Father finally approved of Sasuke, as his approval meant the world to me._

_I told the clerk at the front office that I was leaving early, but I would make up the time I was gone in my shift later. At the hospital, we didn't have a solid, "Sign in, sign out" system. You worked as much as you could, with only a few days off during the week, depending on your status in the hospital. Tsunade, for instance, was the Chief of Medicine—she only came around when she was specifically needed._

_When I arrived at the mansion, my Father was actually waiting outside for me. This was exceedingly unusual, as Father only went outside when he was needed outside of the mansion, or to do work in the garden. _

"_Hinata, there is something we must discuss," his look was serious, and I quickly became nervous. What was so official? "In a year, I shall retire. When I retire, Hinata, you will become Head of the Hyuuga Clan. This would mean giving up being a medical ninja. What do you say?"_

"_I…" I paused. Being the Head of the clan was an amazing honor—even though, traditionally, it should go to me, I always thought Father would pass over me and give the title to Hanabi, who was more talented than I. Being told that _I_ was the first choice was gratifying. But I knew I couldn't accept. "I can't give up being a medical ninja, Father. I apologize, but being a medical ninja has been my dream—I help people, and I'm good at it. Please, don't take offense," I bowed, my head lower than my waist. _

"_Raise your head, Hinata," my Father commanded. I obliged, looking reluctantly into his eyes. "It wasn't a command, it was a request. Hanabi will make a fine clan Head—though I may have to wait a few more years before retirement. I knew that would be your answer, anyways, my daughter." He paused. "However, you are aware that, once Hanabi takes over as Clan Head, you'll be branded with the Branch Family Seal?"_

_I hadn't thought of that, but it wasn't enough to change my answer. "Yes, Father, I am aware. I will bear the mark proudly."_

_Father chuckled at my words. "Even so, I knew you wouldn't give up being a doctor." He paused. "The real reason I've brought you here, is to offer a compromise."_

"_Compromise?"_

"_Yes. Sasuke is weak, and therefore, he'll need intensive care for a while, correct?" I nodded in response, wanting to hurry the process of speaking. Father continued, "I'll allow him to live with you, on two conditions—one, that when you marry, he will bare the name of Hyuuga; and two, that you move into the main household."_

"_I don't know about the first condition. I'll have to speak with Sasuke about that, and even so, marriage now… We've only been dating a short while…"_

"_We'll bring that condition up in a year or two, then," Father replied, "But the other?"_

"_Agreed. As long as Sasuke is willing."_

----

I was willing.


	13. A Wedding

**Never Meant To Win**

**A/N: This is officially the last chapter. I'm doing it from Neji's POV. Strange, yes, but that's the way the chapter will work. I thank **_**all**_** of you who read my story, and I would like to thank all of my reviewers doubly for reading and reviewing. Thanks so much!**

The wedding was held in the church just outside of Konoha, which overlooked both Konoha and the large acres of forestation bordering the city. It had been about a year since the incident in Sound, and since then, my new cousin-in-law has done a lot to make up for any past transgressions. My father agreed full-heartedly when Sasuke asked permission to marry Hinata, and it wasn't long before the ceremony was set up.

Sakura Haruno was the maid of honor, and Tenten, Chiyo (Kiba's girlfriend), and Shizune (who Hinata knew very well from work) were Hinata's other bridesmaids. The best man was, shockingly enough, Naruto. The ring bearer was Shino, and the flower girl (to her chagrin) was Hanabi. My uncle was the one who performed the marriage, and the marriage continued on without any problems.

Even from my seat, I could see how shockingly pale and gaunt Sasuke looked. He still hadn't fully recovered from the Sound, which wasn't surprising—organ damage took a long time to heal.

Naruto definitely made a good decision in making Sasuke the head of the Sound cleanup—Sasuke was very adept at organizing people for the missions, and he kept the records of research and findings almost obsessively filed. As leader, Sasuke even got to read all of the findings before anyone else—aside from, perhaps, the people who actually _found_ whatever it was.

In Sasuke's annual report (he had to issue monthly reports, but only Naruto read the monthlies—everyone, however, had access to the annual reports), he listed all of the data he had complied from each individual search. I could still remember the reaction of the entirety of Konoha's ninja population when the report was released—shock.

And it was no wonder.

_Findings on Sound. Written by Uchiha Sasuke._

_Common knowledge of Orochimaru includes that he was originally a Konoha Sanin who was hell-bent on living forever. However, after he departed from the Leaf, his goals became far more likely to actually occur. He got his start in the Akatsuki, but when he realized that he could never gain control of the organization, he left for greener pastures. _

_He joined up with around fifty individuals, none of whom he even knew the names of—except Kabuto Yakushi, another Konoha refugee, of questionable background. Kabuto wasn't a ninja, but instead, was the son of a renowned doctor. He had excellent medical skills, but no ninja skills to speak of. Thus, Orochimaru 'installed' a certain power in Kabuto—it amplified his chakra, his agility, his strength, and his intelligence._

_Soon after genetically changing Kabuto, he came up with a way to control his subordinate partners, who were becoming unruly and rebellious. He installed something similar to what was placed in Kabuto, except this new development was a seal—and it allowed Orochimaru to read the minds of all of his minions. He could _not_, however, place this seal on Kabuto—the old one cancelled out anything Orochimaru attempted to do._

_For a while, this system worked just fine. Kabuto was grateful to Orochimaru for giving him extra powers, but even though he was completely loyal, Orochimaru couldn't help but question Kabuto's intentions. The truth was, as far as we can tell, that Kabuto had no intentions whatsoever—he had nothing to work for, except towards pleasing Orochimaru._

_However, Orochimaru could not simply do away with Kabuto. He needed a replacement for Kabuto, and he needed one that was just as well trained. Thus, he met a young man called Shiniji (now deceased), who was very adept with medical skills, but was by no means a ninja. Orochimaru planned on altering the seal slightly before installing it on Shiniji—he was going to combine the power of the first one with the control of the second. He was in the middle of developing such a device when he was eliminated. There is substantial evidence to prove that, though no one can ever really be certain, that due to the lack of a strong second-hand, Orochimaru was in his weakest position, though he didn't realize it himself due to pride._

_By the time of his death, Orochimaru had complied an impossibly large collection of jutsu. Everyday a new piece of research is brought in, at least ten more jutsu are added to the list. There are specific people who are cataloguing the jutsu electronically, and others whose jobs are to check for replications and needless information. The current total, though this will almost immediately become obsolete information, is nearing 3,000. Not only did Orochimaru have information from every village, but also he had compiled a list of every bloodline, and every type of every genjutsu, ninjutsu, and taijutsu. In the electronic catalogue, we have also listed which types of jutsu each are, as well all of the seals required, and all of the elemental types. By the time the catalogue is completed, we hope to have a library of jutsu nearly a hundred times larger than the current Konoha library, as well as extra information on each village._

_As for the Genin that was the 'messenger' nearly a year and a half ago from the date of the publication of this report, he was a Konoha ninja who thought he could help Konoha by pretending to join Orochimaru. Once he braved the addition of the seal, however, Orochimaru knew of his plan. Orochimaru sent the Genin on a fake mission, and halfway on the way to Konoha, a bomb that Orochimaru implanted in his chest exploded. Using a series of nerve controls developed by the soon-to-be deceased Kabuto, Orochimaru could control the body, even from far away._

_The autopsy of the Genin's body read that a massive explosion occurred near his chest, and a small scrap of skin had been removed on his neck—Orochimaru had this arranged using the Genin's body as well._

The rest of the report had been about how the Sound ran, how many ninja were remaining to be eradicated, and other such things. 

The minister's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "The groom may now present his vows."

Sasuke fumbled through his jacket pocket, pulling out a small sheet of paper. "Hinata Hyuuga, before I met you, I honestly believed that my purpose in life had been fulfilled. I believed that I was a stain to the world, something that needed to be destroyed for the good of the entire nation. However, just by smiling and being _there _for me, you've shown me that there is _always_ something to live for. I love you, Hinata, and I vow to love you until death do us part."

"The bride?" 

"Sasuke Uchiha, I know you've made a lot of sacrifices in order to be with me. For one, you've given up your last name. For another, you've given up your past as an avenger. However, I've made up my mind to always support you, and to continue saving you whenever you need me." A few chuckles were heard throughout the chapel, though most people thought it rude to laugh during a wedding. "I'm glad I've found someone to spend the rest of my life with. When I was little, this wasn't my idea of what my future would be. However, I'm glad this is how it's turning out. I promise to love you for the rest of my life, and to always be faithful to you and your needs."

"I know pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the minister announced loudly. I could feel the entire room shifting forward to get a good look at the new husband-and-wife, watching with great anticipation as they performed their first act as a married couple. I rose to clap, along with the rest of the witnesses to the wedding. Soon after, we filed out and left for the reception, which was to be held at the Hyuuga manor.

I was rather glad Father allowed Hinata to have her wedding at a church, instead of at the Hyuuga mansion.

But then again, only members of the Main family absolutely _had_ to get married in the Hyuuga estate. Hinata gave up her birthright as the eldest offspring of the Clan Leader to Hanabi, in order to marry someone outside of the (very, very, _very­_) extended family and to continue her life as a medical ninja. She had recently been branded with the sign of the Hyuuga Branch family, and under tradition, she began wearing her ninja band across her forehead nearly all of the time.

----

Naruto raised his cup, clinking lightly against the finely spun wine glass with a pure silver fork. He did this gracefully, and I was beginning to think he would not embarrass himself. However, when he stepped on his chair to make the best man's speech, even I felt annoyed that he hadn't made the speech from the floor. And that was when I noticed that Naruto was at _least_ slightly inebriated.

"Guys, I've known these two people for a _long_ time," he began, stretching the word 'long' out _way_ too far, "And I must say, I'm just glad that Sasuke isn't gay. No offense," Naruto said to Shino. A few nervous chuckles were heard throughout the room, but luckily, Shino seemed to take it all in good humor. "And _how_ they ended up is _beyond_ me. I mean, seriously—just look at Hinata! Then look at Sasuke, and…" he shuddered. More chuckling, but this time, less nervous than it had been before.

"But, I would like to say that their love is most definitely genuine. I would also like to point out that I do love Hinata so—not as much as my wife, but still—and if Sasuke _ever_ takes out any anger on her, well, I'll have to kick his ass." Louder laughter. "I'm glad you two have tied the knot—may your marriage be blessed with lots of children—I call godfather—and lots of love."

The room erupted in applause, and Naruto nearly fell over in taking a bow. I watched with overwhelming joy as Hinata cut the cake with Sasuke. They looked like the perfect newly wed couple, smudging icing on each other's cheeks, and playfully joking with each other.

"Sorry, Tetsuo was a little dirtier than I thought," Tenten apologized as she took her seat beside me. She turned to our son, who was about three months old, and grasped his hand lightly. "Yes, you were stinky, weren't you?" Tetsuo gurgled and laughed in response.

"You missed a drunk Hokage giving a speech," I said as I circled my arm around her waist and smiled at Tetsuo.

"He stood on the table?" Tenten asked with a sigh.

"He stood on the table," I confirmed, absent-mindedly ruffling his small tuft of hair.

"There should be a lack of intoxication requirement for those making speeches," someone agreed from behind me. I turned, and found myself suddenly facing Chemo.

"Chemo!" I greeted. "I see you got off work for the wedding."

"Yeah, wasn't easy. Naruto had to find a substitute. I only hope he actually did the filing."

"You're doing filing? What a good little secretary you are," Tenten replied lightly.

"Yeah, well…" Chemo sighed. "The budget cut-backs means everyone in the office has to do more work. Not many people mind it too much, though. Naruto is a very generous Hokage. I doubt he has a lot left in his own personal fund. He's a good man."

"Yes, he is. He is definitely worthy of his title," I agreed full-heatedly with Chemo—everyone did.

"So, is anyone here single?" Chemo asked, surveying the people lined up at the edges of the dance floor. Sasuke and Hinata had started their first dance as husband-and-wife.

"Shino," Tenten offered.

"Shino…" Chemo nodded, and then faltered. "Wait, haha, very funny. I'll just have to, uh, examine my options." With a small wave, he dismissed himself and headed for the small gaggle of girls circling the bridesmaids.

Tenten and I began watching the two of them circle on the dance floor, to some romantic song that neither Tenten nor I would know the name of—Hinata picked it, I'm sure. I caught a false of black on Sasuke's neck—his what used to be a curse seal, but now was a brand of guilt.

"Sasuke, Hinata is beside herself with…" I paused, looking for the right word. "Well, I think it's anger. She keeps telling me it's not, but she's snapping at everyone."

"_Yeah, it's anger," Sasuke agreed with a sigh. "She really wanted me to have the plastic surgery to remove the tattoo."_

"_You must be tired of everyone pestering you," I nodded. "But I don't think anyone really understands your point-of-view on the matter."_

"_Neji, you know that, as Hanabi is going to be the Hyuuga leader, there is a good chance that the old tradition of the curse seal on the Branch family members has a good possibility of being revoked, right?"_

"_Only because she, herself, was so close to getting the seal…"_

"_Yes, well, that doesn't change the fact she'll probably get rid of the curse seal. If it happens… Would you remove your seal?"_

_My hand automatically flew up to my forehead, though it only touched the cold metal of my headband. Get rid of my seal? That'd be… I'd love the curse part of the seal gone, but the actual seal? I wouldn't be able to—not only had it been a part of my life for so long, but…  
_

"_Would you get rid of it if I answered, 'Hell yes?'" I responded jokingly._

"_Nice try. I'd ignore it."_

"_Well, I see your point. My seal symbolizes everything I had to go through to get… here, and yours does the same thing, huh?"_

"_Yeah. That's pretty much it."_

"So, how long do you think it'll be before they have children?" 

"Not long," I chuckled, noting the way that Sasuke held Hinata in his gaze constantly.

They finished their dance, and while Hinata was dancing with my uncle, Sasuke made his way over to me. I think he would have gone to Naruto, but at this point, he was slightly out of it.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hello, Mr. Hyuuga," I greeted, half-welcoming him into the family.

"You took her last name?" Tenten asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It was a requirement."

"Don't you feel bad? I mean, now there are no more Uchihas running around. Your clan is… Well, gone," Tenten obviously felt awkward for bringing that subject up.

"Actually… I don't really care. The only reason I ever defended the name Uchiha was because of my parents, and they've been… avenged, so I have no worries. I don't think I ever really gained true respect for my clan."

"That's pretty sad," I said, almost in shock due to the lack of pride he had for his lineage.

"Yeah, it is sad. But it's the truth," Sasuke shrugged. I guess he didn't really care after all—or, at the very least, he cared more for my cousin than for a name.

"Have you talked about children yet?" Tenten asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh, god. Hinata wants a big family. She says she wants seven," Sasuke looked mortified.

"_Seven_? Oh, trust me, after the first one, she'll change her mind. I used to want five. I want _maybe_ two, now," Tenten scoffed lightly, before nuzzling Tetsuo lightly. "And it's all your fault, yes it is, little Tetsuo," she cooed at him, and since he didn't know any better, he laughed.

"How many did _you_ want?" I asked.

"One."

"Really? Just one? Most people want more than that, unless they're terrified of the birthing process." 

"Yeah, well… I think I'd screw up." He turned to the side, just as Hinata finished the dance with her father. She was beaming—Sakura and herself were chatting, and she looked radiant. Sasuke grinned softly, as if thinking of a private joke, and then added, "On second thought, I want as many as possible. As long as they all look like her."


End file.
